University  of  California 

Southern  Regional 
Library  Facility 


3559 


to  O 


"WE  OF   ITALY,'  HE   WAS  SAYING,  'LIVE,  ENDURE,  DIE, 

IF    NEED    BE — ALWAYS    FOR    THE    SAME 

REASON — WOMAN  AND  LOVE  !'  " 

(Page  65) 


THE 
TITLE  MARKET 

By 

Emily  Post 

Author  of  "  Tfie  Flight  of  a  Moth," 
"  Woven  in  the  Tapestry,"  etc. 


With  Illustrations  by 

J.  H.  Gardner  Soper 


Copyright,  1909,  by 
THE  RIDGWAY  COMPANY 

Copyright,  1909,  bv 
DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

Published,  September,  1909 


As  though  you  did  not  know  each  page, 

each  paragraph,  each  word; 

as  though  for  months  and  months  the  Sanseveros, 

Nina,  John,  and  all  the  rest,  had  not  been 

your  daily  companions — 

M ADRE  MIA, 

this  book  is  dedicated 
to  you. 


2229102 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I     PRINCE  SANSEVERO  DIMINISHES  THE 

FORTUNES  OF  His  HOUSE      .        .  1 
II     THE   PRINCESS    PLANS    TO    RECEIVE 

THE  AMERICAN  HEIRESS         .         .  14 

III     NINA 25 

IV     THE  DUKE  SCORPA  MAKES  A  DEAL  .  42 

V     DON  GIOVANNI  ARRIVES    ...  48 

VI     LOVE,  AND  A  GARDEN         ...  64 

VII     ROME 72 

VIII     OPENING  DAY  AT  THE  TITLE  MARKET  86 
IX     A  DOOR  is  OPENED  THAT  GIOVANNI 

PREFERS  TO  KEEP  CLOSED     .         .  97 
X     MR.    RANDOLPH    SENDS    FOR    JOHN 

DERBY 107 

XI     ROME  GOES  TO  THE  OPERA         .        .  116 

XII     A  BALL  AT  COURT     .        .        .        .136 

XIII     CORONETS  FOE  SALE  ....  142 

XIV     APPLES  OF  SODOM     .        .        .  157 

XV     AN  OPPOSITION  BOOTH  is  SET  UP  IN 

THE  MARKET  PLACE     .        .        .  163 

XVI     A  MENACE  173 


vi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVII     NINA  DUSTS  BEHIND  THE  COUNTER  .  192 
XVIII     FAVORITA  DRIVES  A  BARGAIN   .        .214 

XIX     A  CHALLENGE,  AND  AN  ANSWER       .  221 
XX     His  EMINENCE,  THE  ARCHBISHOP  OF 

VENCATA 236 

XXI     THE  SULPHUR  MINES        .        .         .  246 

XXII     BEFORE  DAYLIGHT      ....  257 

XXIII     THE  SPIDER'S  WEB    .         .         .         .269 

XXIV     WEIGHED  IN  THE  BALANCE       .        .  289 

XXV     "THY     PEOPLE     SHALL     BE     MY 

PEOPLE—  "  308 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"  *  WE  OF  ITALY,'  HE  WAS  SAYING, 
*  IJVE,  ENDURE,  DIE,  IF  NEED 

BE ALWAYS     FOR     THE     SAME 

EEASON WOMEN  AND  LOVE  !  '  : 

Page  65 Frontispiece 

"  As  SHE  SPOKE,  A  DOOR  OPENED 
OPPOSITE,  AND  THE  PRINCE  CAME 

IN  " Facing  page     4 

"  FOR  THE  SPACE  OF  A  SECOND  SHE 
FACED  THE  AUDIENCE,  STANDING 
STILL  AND  RIGID  "...  "  "  134 

"  NlNA  LOOKED  AT  HIM *  I  WONDER 

IF     YOU     WOULD     BE     AMUSED     IF 

YOU  KNEW  WHY  I  LAUGHED  '  "  .  "          "       184 

"  HlS   LIPS   FRAMED   '  GoOD-BY  '   AND 

HERS    ANSWERED,    BOTH    SMILED 

BRIGHTLY AND  THAT  WAS  THE 

PARTING" "       "     232 

"  *  You  ARE  AMERICANO,  ARE  YOU 

NOT?         YOUR     LAND     HAS     DONE 

MUCH  FOR  MY  PEOPLE !  '  "  .  .  "          "       239 

vii 


CHAPTER   I 

PRINCE    SANSEVERO    DIMINISHES    THE    FORTUNES 
OF    HIS    HOUSE 

HER  EXCELLENCY  the  Princess  Sansevero 
sat  up  in  bed.  Reaching  quickly  across  the 
great  width  of  mattress,  she  pulled  the  bell- 
rope  twice,  then,  shivering,  slid  back  under  the 
warmth  of  the  covers.  She  drew  them  close  up  over 
her  shoulders,  so  far  that  only  a  heavy  mass  of  golden 
hair  remained  visible  above  the  old  crimson  brocade 
of  which  the  counterpane  was  made.  The  room  was 
still  darkened  so  that  the  objects  in  it  were  barely 
discernible,  but  presently  one  of  the  high,  carved 
doors  opened  and  a  maid  entered,  carrying  a  break- 
fast tray.  Setting  the  tray  down,  she  crossed 
quickly  to  the  windows  and  drew  back  the  curtains. 

Sunlight  flooded  the  black  and  white  marble  of  the 
floor,  and  brought  out  in  sharp  detail  the  splendor  of 
the  apartment.  The  rich  colors  of  the  frescoed 
walls,  the  mellow  crimson  damask  upholstering,  might 
have  suggested  warmth  and  comfort,  had  not  a  little 
cloud  of  white  vapor  floating  before  the  maid's  lips 
proclaimed  the  temperature. 

She  was  a  stocky  peasant  woman,  this  maid,  with 
good  red  color  in  her  cheeks,  but  she  wore  a  dress  of 
heavy  woolen  material  and  a  cardigan  jacket  over 


2  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

that.  Her  thick  felt  slippers  pattered  briskly  over 
the  stone  floor  as  she  went  to  a  clothes-press,  carved 
and  beautifully  inlaid,  took  out  a  drab-colored  woolen 
wrapper  trimmed  with  common  red  fox  fur,  and,  pick- 
ing up  the  tray  again,  mounted  the  dais  of  the  huge 
carved  bed. 

"  If  Excellency  will  make  haste,  the  coffee  is  good 
and  very  hot." 

The  covers  were  pushed  down  just  a  little,  and  the 
princess  peered  out. 

"  What  sort  of  a  day  have  we,  Marie  ?  Isn't  it 
very  cold?  " 

"  Oh,  no !  It  is  a  beautiful  day.  But  Excellency 
will  say  that  the  coffee  is  cold  unless  it  is  soon  taken." 

So  again  the  Princess  Sansevero  sat  up  in  bed. 
Her  maid  placed  the  coffee  tray  before  her,  and 
wrapped  her  quickly  in  the  dressing-gown.  The 
plain  woolen  wrapper  had  looked  ugly  enough  in  the 
maid's  hands,  but  its  drab  color  and  fox  fur  so  toned 
in  with  the  red-gold  hair  and  creamy  skin  of  its 
wearer  that  an  artist,  could  he  have  beheld  the  pic- 
ture, would  have  been  filled  with  delight.  It  would 
not  in  the  least  have  mattered  to  him  that  there  was 
a  chip  in  the  cup  into  which  she  poured  her  coffee,  nor 
that  the  linen  napkin  was  darned  in  three  places. 
The  silver  breakfast  service  belonged  to  a  time  when 
such  things  were  chiseled  only  for  great  personages 
and  by  master  craftsmen.  That  it  was  battered 
through  several  centuries  of  constant  handling  rather 
enhanced  than  diminished  its  value.  Of  the  same  an- 


THE    TITLE   MARKET  S 

tiquity  was  the  bed — seven  feet  wide,  its  four  posts 
elaborately  carved  with  fruits  and  flowers,  and  with 
cupids  grouped  in  the  corners  of  the  framework  sup- 
porting a  dome  of  crimson  damask  that  matched  the 
hangings.  What  difference  could  it  make  to  the 
artist  that  the  springless  mattress  was  as  hard  as  a 
rock,  and  lumpy  as  a  ploughed  field?  With  painted 
walls  and  vaulted  ceilings  that  were  the  apotheosis  of 
luxury,  what  did  it  matter  that  the  raw  chill  from 
their  stone  surface  penetrated  to  the  very  marrow  of 
her  Exalted  Excellency's  bones?  Unfortunately, 
however,  it  was  she  who  had  to  occupy  the  apart- 
ment and  to  her  it  did  matter  very  much,  for  her 
American  blood  never  had  grown  used  to  the  chill 
of  unheated  rooms. 

"  I  think  I  can  heat  the  bathroom  sufficiently  for 
Excellency's  bath,"  ventured  the  maid. 

The  princess  shivered  at  the  mere  suggestion.  She 
knew  only  too  well  the  feeling  of  the  water  in  a  room 
that  was  h'ke  an  unheated  cellar  in  the  rainy  season 
of  late  autumn.  "  No,  no !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  fill  me 
the  little  tub,  in  my  sitting-room." 

As  she  spoke,  a  door  opened  opposite  the  one 
through  which  the  maid  had  entered,  and  the  prince 
came  in.  A  fresh  color  glowed  under  his  olive  skin, 
his  hair  was  brushed  until  it  was  as  polished  as  his 
nails;  also  he  was  shaved,  but  here  his  toilet  for  the 
day  ended.  The  open  '*  V "  of  his  dressing-gown 
(his  was  made  of  a  costly  material,  quite  in  contrast 
to  the  one  his  wife  wore)  showed  his  throat;  bare 


4  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

ankles  were  visible  above  his  slippers.  With  the 
raillery  of  a  boy  he  cried : 

"  Can  it  really  be  possible  that  you  are  cold !  No 
wonder  they  call  yours  the  nation  of  ice  water!  I 
know  that  is  what  you  have  in  your  veins ! "  With 
a  spring  he  threw  himself  full  length  across  the  bed. 

"  Sandro,  be  careful !  See  what  you  are  doing ! 
You  have  spilled  the  coffee." 

"Oh,  that's  nothing!"  he  said  gaily;  "it  will 
wash  out." 

"  On  the  contrary,  it  is  a  great  deal.  It  makes 
unnecessary  laundry  and  uses  up  the  linen — we  can't 
get  any  more,  you  know." 

At  once  his  gay  humor  changed  to  sulkiness.  "  Va 
bene,  va  bene!  let  us  drop  that  subject." 

Immediately  the  princess  softened,  as  though  she 
had  unthinkingly  hurt  him,  "  I  did  not  mean  it  as 
a  complaint ;  but  you  know,  dear,  we  do  have  to  be 
careful." 

But  the  prince  stared  moodily  at  his  finger-nails. 

She  began  a  new  topic  cheerfully.  "  I  hope  to 
get  a  letter  from  Nina  to-day ;  there  has  been  time 
for  an  answer." 

Sansevero  had  been  quite  interested  in  the  idea 
of  a  possible  visit  from  Nina  Randolph,  his  wife's 
niece,  a  much  exploited  American  heiress.  But  now 
he  paid  no  attention.  He  still  stared  at  his  nails. 
The  princess  scrutinized  his  face  as  though  in  the 
habit  of  reading  its  expression,  and  at  last  she  said 
gently: 


'AS    SHE   SPOKE,    A    DOOR    OPENED   OPPOSITE    THE    ONE 

THROUGH  WHICH  THE  MAID  HAD  ENTERED, 

AND  THE  PRINCE  CAME  IN  " 


THE   TITLE    MARKET  5 

"What  have  you  in  mind,  dear?  Tell  me — 
come,  out  with  it,  I  see  quite  well  there  is  something." 

For  answer  he  sat  up,  took  a  cigarette  from  his 
pocket,  put  it  between  his  lips,  searched  in  both 
pockets  for  a  match,  and,  failing  to  find  one,  sat 
with  the  unlighted  cigarette  between  his  lips,  sulkier 
than  ever. 

He  felt  her  looking  at  him,  and  swayed  his  shoul- 
ders exactly  as  though  some  one  were  trying  to  hold 
him.  "  Really,  Leonora,"  he  burst  out,  "  this  ques- 
tion of  money  all  the  time  is  far  from  pleasant! " 

A  helpless,  frightened  look  came  into  her  face.  It 
grew  suddenly  pinched;  instinctively  she  put  her 
hand  over  her  heart. 

"  I  have  not  mentioned  money."  She  made  an  ef- 
fort to  speak  lightly,  but  there  was  a  vibration  in 
the  tone.  Then,  as  though  gathering  her  strength 
together,  she  made  a  direct  demand : 

"  Alessandro,  tell  me  at  once,  what  have  you 
done?  " 

For  a  moment  he  looked  defiant,  then  shrugged  his 

shoulders.  "  Well,  since  you  will  know "  he 

sprang  from  the  bed,  pulled  a  letter  out  of  his  pocket, 
and,  quite  as  a  small  boy  hands  over  the  note  that  his 
teacher  has  caught  him  passing  in  school,  he  tossed 
her  the  envelope,  and  left  the  room. 

Her  fingers  trembled  a  little  in  unfolding  the 
paper;  and  she  breathed  quickly  as  she  read.  For 
some  time  she  sat  staring  at  the  few  lines  of  writing 
before  her.  Then  suddenly  thrusting  her  feet  into 


6  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

fur  slippers,  she  ran  into  the  next  room.  "  Sandro," 
she  said,  "  come  into  my  sitting-room ;  I  must  speak 
with  you." 

He  followed  her  through  her  bedroom  into  an 
apartment  much  smaller  and,  unlike  the  other  two 
rooms,  quite  warm.  Just  now,  all  the  articles  of  a 
woman's  toilet  were  spread  out  on  a  table  upon  which 
a  dressing-mirror  had  been  placed;  and  close  beside 
a  brazier  of  glowing  coals  was  a  portable  English 
tub;  the  water  for  the  bath  was  heating  in  the 
kitchen. 

Seeing  that  there  was  no  means  of  avoiding  the 
inevitable,  he  said  doggedly :  "  I  thought  to  make, 
of  course,  or  I  would  not  have  gone  into  the  scheme." 
Then  something  in  her  face  held  him,  and  at  the  same 
time  his  impulsive  boyishness — a  little  dramatic, 
perhaps,  but  only  so  much  as  is  consistent  with  his 
race — carried  him  into  a  new  mood. 

"  Leonora,  I  suppose  I  am  in  the  wrong — indeed 
I  am  sure  I  am  utterly  at  fault ;  but  help  me.  Don't 
you  see,  cariss'vma,  this  time  I  did  not  wager — it 
was  a  business  venture !  " 

In  the  midst  of  her  distress  she  could  not  help  but 
smile  at  the  absurdity. 

"  Scorpa  is  doing  it  all,"  he  continued — "  not  I. 
You  know  what  a  clever  business  man  he  is!  He 
assured  me  that  it  was  a  rare  chance — the  oppor- 
tunity of  a  lifetime.  It  was  because  I  wanted  so 
to  restore  to  you  what  my  gambling  had  cost,  that 
I  agreed.  I  did  not  think  it  possible  to  lose.  But 


THE   TITLE    MARKET  7 

help  me  this  once;  believe  me,  I  do  know,  and  with 
shame,  that  were  it  not  for  my  accursed  ill  luck  we 
should  be  living  in  luxury  now.  But  just  this 
once — you  will  help  me,  won't  you?  " 

His  wife  seated  herself  in  a  big  armchair,  and 
looked  at  him  wearily,  running  her  fingers  through 
the  heavy  waves  of  her  hair.  She  had  beautiful 
hands — beautiful  because  they  seemed  part  of  her 
expression ;  capable  hands  with  nothing  helpless  in 
her  use  of  them ;  the  kind  that  a  sick  person  dreams 
of  as  belonging  to  an  ideal  nurse ;  gentle  and  smooth, 
but  quick  and  firm. 

"  It  is  not  a  question  of  willingness,  Sandro." 
Her  voice  was  as  smooth  and  strong,  as  flexible,  as 
her  hands.  "  You  know  everything  we  have  just  as 
well  as  I.  I  never  kept  anything  from  you,  and 
what  we  have  is  ours  jointly — as  much  yours  as 
mine.  I  have,  as  you  know,  only  two  jewels  of 
value  left,  and  they  would  not  bring  half  the  amount 
of  this  debt." 

"  Leonora,  no !  you  have  sold  too  many  already ; 
I  cannot  ask  such  a  thing  again." 

His  wife's  smile  was  more  sad  than  tears;  it  was 
not  that  she  was  making  up  her  mind  for  some  one 
necessary  sacrifice — it  was  a  smile  of  absolute  help- 
lessness. "  If  only  I  might  believe  you !  We  now 
have  nothing  but  what  is  held  in  trust  for  me.  I 
am  not  reproaching  you — what  is  gone  is  gone.  But 
Sandro!  where  will  it  end?  " 

The  maid  knocked  and  entered  with  two  pails  of 


8  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

hot  water,  which  she  poured  into  the  tub.  She 
spread  a  bath  towel  over  a  chair,  moved  another 
chair  near,  put  out  various  articles  of  clothing,  and 
left  the  room  again. 

The  princess  threw  off  her  slippers,  and  tried 
the  temperature  of  the  water  with  her  toes. 

"  I  think,  Sandro,  we  had  better  give  up  Rome,'5" 
she  said.  "  The  money  saved  for  that  will  pay  the 
greater  part  of  the  debt.  It  is  the  only  way  I 
can  see.  But  go  now;  I  want  to  take  my  bath. 
We  can  talk  more  by  and  by."  She  smiled  quite 
brightly,  and  the  prince,  emboldened  by  her  cheer- 
fulness, would  have  taken  her  in  his  arms.  But  she 
turned  away,  her  hand  involuntarily  put  up  as  a 
barrier  between  herself  and  the  kiss  that  at  the 
moment  she  shrank  from.  He  took  the  hand  in- 
stead and  pressed  it  to  his  lips. 

When  he  had  gone,  she  bathed  quickly,  partially 
dressed  herself,  and  called  her  maid  to  do  her  hair. 
Sitting  before  the  improvised  dressing-table,  she 
glanced  in  the  mirror,  and  her  reflection  caught  and 
held  her  attention  a  long  moment.  A  curious,  half- 
wistful,  half-pathetic  expression  crept  into  her  eyes 
as  the  realization  came  to  her  sharply  that  she  was 
fading.  There  were  lines  and  shadows  and  pallor 
that  ought  not  to  be  in  the  face  of  a  woman  of 
thirty-five.  She  smoothed  the  vertical  lines  in  her 
forehead,  and  then  let  her  hands  remain  over  her 
face,  while  behind  their  cool  smoothness  her  mind 
resumed  its  troublesome  thoughts. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  9 

It  was  not  like  meeting  some  new  difficulty  for 
which  the  strength  is  fresh ;  it  was  struggling  again 
with  emotions  that  have  repeatedly  exhausted  one's 
endurance.  Just  as  she  had  every  hope  that  her 
husband  was  cured  of  the  gambler's  fever,  here  he 
was  down  again  with  an  even  more  dangerous  form 
of  it.  The  man  who  knowingly  risks  is  bad  enough ; 
but  the  man  who  cannot  see  that  he  risks,  and  can- 
not understand  how  he  has  lost  is  the  hardest  vic- 
tim to  cure.  All  of  her  capital  was  gone  except  a 
small  property  which  her  brother-in-law,  J.  B.  Ran- 
dolph, held  for  her  in  trust  and  on  the  income  of 
which  they  now  lived.  Ten  years  before  she  had 
had  considerable  money,  enough  for  them  to  live 
not  only  in  comfort  but  in  luxury.  A  large  amount 
had  been  sunk  in  a  Sicilian  sulphur  mine,  and  to, 
this  investment  she  had  given  her  consent,  not  yet 
realizing  her  husband's  lack  of  judgment.  But 
aside  from  this,  cards  and  horse  races  and  trips 
to  Monaco  had  limited  their  living  in  luxury  to  a 
periodic  pleasure  of  three  or  four  months.  Now  in 
order  to  open  the  palace  in  Rome,  they  had  to  prac- 
tise the  most  rigid  economics  the  other  eight  or  nine 
months  in  their  villa  in  the  country. 

Yet  in  spite  of  all,  her  compassion  went  out  to 
Sandro.  He  was  so  gay,  so  boy-like,  that  he  ac- 
quired ascendancy  over  her  sympathies  in  spite  of 
her  judgment.  And  by  the  time  her  maid  had 
coiled  her  great  golden  waves  of  hair  and  helped 
her  into  a  short,  heavy  skirt,  a  pair  of  stout  boots, 


10  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

a  plain  shirt-waist,  and  a  rough,  short  coat  and 
cap,  her  feeling  of  resentment  against  him  had 
passed.  She  drew  on  a  pair  of  dogskin  gloves,  and 
went  out. 

In  the  stables  she  found  the  prince  helping  to 
harness  a  pony. 

"  Are  you  going  to  drive  to  the  village  ? "  she 
asked  as  cheerfully  as  though  there  had  been  no 
topic  of  distress. 

"Yes;  will  you  come  with  me?"  he 'returned 
eagerly.  She  nodded  her  assent  and  as  they  started 
down  the  road  they  talked  easily  of  various  things. 
It  was  the  prince  who  finally  came  back  to  the  topic 
that  was  uppermost  in  their  minds.  He  looked  at 
her  tenderly  as  he  said: 

"  You  do  believe,  my  darling,  don't  you,  that  to 
have  brought  this  additional  trouble  to  you  breaks 
my  heart?  I  have  taken  everything  from  you — 
given  you  nothing  in  return.  Yet — I  do  love  you." 

"  Oh,  va  bene,  va  bene,  caro  mio;  we  will  talk 
no  more  about  it.  Do  you  really  agree  to  stay  in 
the  country  all  winter  and  give  up  Rome?  " 

"  Of  course,"  he  said,  with  the  best  grace  in  the 
world.  "  It  is  all  far  too  easy  for  me — but  for  you ! 
— Ah,  Leonora,  no  admiration,  no  new  interest!  no 
amusement!  a  year  of  your  beauty  wasted  on  only 
me." 

"  Be  still ;  you  know  very  well  that  I  care  nothing 
for  all  that.  It  is  always  this  horrible  fear  of  your 
leaping  before  you  look.  Sandro,  Sandro!  can  you 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  11 

really  see  that  one  more  plunge — and  we  are  done? 
Now  we  can  give  up  our  savings,  and  the  jewels; 
another  time — don't  let  there  ever  be  another  time !  " 

He  looked  up  the  road  and  down;  there  was  not 
even  a  peasant  in  sight.  He  put  his  arm  about 
her  and  drew  her  to  him.  "  Look  at  me,  Leonora ! 
On  the  name  of  my  family  and  on  that  which  I  hold 
most  sacred  in  the  world  I  swear  it:  you  will  never 
again  have  to  suffer  from  such  a  cause." 

She  inclined  toward  his  kiss,  and  love  dominated 
the  sadness  in  her  eyes.  Who  could  be  angry  with 
him — impulsive,  affectionate,  warm-hearted  child 
of  the  Sun,  or  Italy — since  both  are  the  same. 

A  turn  in  the  road,  around  a  high  wall  topped 
with  orange  trees,  brought  them  into  the  little  town 
and  the  village  life.  A  couple  of  ragged  urchins 
sitting  before  the  door  of  one  of  the  cave-like  struc- 
tures that  are  called  dwellings,  grinned  as  the  prin-^ 
cess  looked  at  them.  An  older  girl  bobbed  a  courtesy 
and  pulled  one  of  the  children  to  her  feet,  bidding 
her  do  the  same.  The  men  uncovered  their  heads, 
as  the  noble  padrones  passed. 

Before  one  house  the  little  trap  stopped.  Im- 
mediately the  door  opened  and  a  woman  came  out. 
She  was  young  and  handsome  though  the  shadow 
of  maternity  was  blue-stenciled  under  her  eyes.  She 
courtesied,  then  looked  anxiously  at  the  prince. 

"  Excellency  would  speak  with  me?  "  she  asked, 
"has  Excellency  decided?" 

"  Yes,"  the  prince  answered,  "  Pedro  will  wed  thee 


12  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

at  the  house  of  the  good  father — to-night  at  eight." 
At  his  first  words  she  clasped  her  hands  in  thanks- 
giving, but  when  he  continued  that  she  was  to  wear 
no  veil  or  wreath,  her  joy  gave  way  to  a  wail. 

"  Excellency  would  shame  me,"  she  sobbed,  "  I  am 
a  good  girl  and  Pedro  my  husband  by  promise." 

Sansevero  looked  helpless  for  a  moment  and  then 
seemed  wavering.  The  woman  caught  at  the  op- 
portunity and  repeated  her  cry,  this  time  to  the 
princess,  but  there  was  no  indecision  in  the  latter's 
manner  as  she  spoke  now  in  her  husband's  stead. 

"  Thou  knowest,  Marcella,  that  the  veil  and  the 
wreath  are  only  for  such  as  are  maidens !  Say  no 
more,  I  speak  not  of  goodness,  Pedro  comes  to  the 
house  of  the  padre — at  eight.  Be  a  faithful  wife 
and  mother,  and  so  shalt  thou  have  honor — better 
than  by  the  wearing  of  a  wreath." 

She  put  her  hand  on  the  girl's  head,  with  a  kind- 
ness that  took  away  all  sting  from  her  words.  And 
Marcella  made  no  further  protest,  although  as  the 
pony-cart  drove  on,  she  remained  weeping  before 
the  door. 

Sansevero  himself  looked  dejected.  "  Don't  you 
think,  dear  one,"  he  protested,  "  that  you  were  rather 
severe!  What  difference  can  it  make  after  all, 
"whether  the  poor  girl  wears  a  few  leaves  in  her  hair 
or  a  bit  of  tulle?" 

But  the  princess  was  inflexible.  "  It  would  not 
be  just  to  the  others,"  she  answered,  "  since  we 
made  this  rule  there  has  been  a  great  difference  in 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  18 

the  village.  It  is  almost  rare  now  that  the  family 
arrives  before  the  wedding.  The  question  of  ir- 
regularity never  used  trouble  the  girls  at  all.  The 
only  disgrace  they  seem  able  to  feel  is  that  they 
may  not  dress  as  brides ;  and  that  being  the  case,  I 
think  we  have  to  be  strict." 

"  All  right,  wise  one,"  said  the  prince  as  he  drew 
up  at  the  post-office,  "  I  am  sure  you  know  best." 
He  looked  at  her  with  such  obvious  satisfaction  that 
two  urchins  standing  by  the  road-side  grinned.  The 
post-master  hurried  out  with  the  mail,  and  the 
princess  looked  through  the  letters.  One  with  an 
American  stamp  held  her  attention.  As  she  read, 
her  cheeks  flushed  with  pleasure,  her  eyes  grew 
bright,  a  sweet  and  tender  expression  came  into 
her  face. 

"  Nina  is  coming!"  she  cried.  Gladness  rang  in 
her  voice.  "  Coming  for  the  whole  winter — let  me 
see,  the  letter  is  dated  the  fifteenth — she  will  sail  this 
week.  Oh,  Sandro,  I  am  so  happy !  " 

For  a  moment  it  would  have  been  hard  to  say 
which  looked  more  pleased,  the  prince  or  the  princess. 
But  then,  as  though  by  thought  transference,  in 
blank  consternation  each  stared  at  the  other,  and 
exclaimed  in  the  same  breath,  "  But  how  about 
Rome?" 

In  silence  the  prince  turned  the  pony  about  and 
slowly  they  drove  back  up  the  hills. 


CHAPTER    II 

THE  PRINCESS  PLANS   TO  RECEIVE  THE 
AMERICAN  HEIRESS 

WHEN  the  pony-cart  arrived  at  the  castle  the 
princess  alighted,  too  preoccupied  with  her 
own  thoughts  to  notice  that  her  husband 
drove  off  in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  stables. 
Her  forehead  was  wrinkled  and  her  head  bent  as 
she  walked  between  the  high  hedges  of  ilex  toward 
the  south  wing  of  the  building.     Her   worry  over 
their  inability  to  pay  the  debt  was  increased  by  the 
fact  that  their  creditor  was  the  Duke  Scorpa. 

There  had  been  a  feud  between  the  Sanseveros 
and  the  Scorpas  for  over  a  century,  and  while  the 
present  generation  tried  to  ignore  it,  the  princess 
felt  instinctively  that  like  the  people  of  Alsace  Lor- 
raine, who  never  really  forgave  the  government  that 
changed  their  nationality,  the  Scorpas  never  for- 
gave the  Sanseveros  for  lands  which  they  claimed 
were  unjustly  lost  in  1803,  when  a  daughter  of  the 
house  married  a  Sansevero  and  took  a  portion  of 
the  Scorpa  property  as  her  dowry.  That  these 
same  lands  were  distant  from  either  county  seat, 
and  of  comparatively  small  value,  in  no  way  miti- 
gated the  Scorpa  resentment,  and  every  time  they 

14 


THE    TITLE  MARKET  15 

looked  at  the  map  and  saw  the  triangular  piece 
painted  over  from  the  Scorpa  red  to  the  Sansevero 
blue,  there  was  bad  feeling. 

When  the  old  Prince  Sansevero  was  alive,  he  and 
the  present  Duke,  who  was  then  a  violent  tempered 
youth,  had  several  unfriendly  encounters  about  the 
boundary  line  of  this  same  property.  All  this  had 
seemed  very  trivial  to  Alessandro,  the  present  Prince, 
who  looked  upon  the  Duke  as  one  of  his  best  friends 
— but  Alessandro  had  no  perspicacity.  He  be- 
lieved others  to  be  as  free  from  guile  as  himself. 

Reaching  a  small  postern  gate  at  the  end  of 
the  path,  the  princess  opened  it  by  pressing  a  hid- 
den spring.  This  led  directly  into  the  apartments 
at  the  end  of  the  south  wing  next  to  the  kitchen 
offices — the  only  ones  at  present  in  use.  She  went 
directly  to  her  own  sitting-room,  from  which  the 
evidences  of  her  toilet  had  meantime  been  removed. 

This  room  better  than  anything  else  proclaimed 
the  manner  of  woman  who  occupied  it.  It  had  been 
arranged  by  one  to  whom  comfort  was  of  paramount 
importance,  and,  in  spite  of  a  certain  incongruity, 
the  whole  effect  was  pleasing  and  harmonious.  The 
frescoes  on  the  walls  were  almost  obliterated  by 
age,  and  were  partially  covered  by  dull  red  stuff. 
Against  this  latter  hung  three  pictures  from  the  fa- 
mous Sansevero  collection:  a  Holy  Family  by  Leon- 
ardo da  Vinci,  a  triptych  by  Perugino,  and  a  Ma- 
donna by  Correggio.  Hardly  less  celebrated,  but 
sharply  at  odds  with  the  ecclesiastical  subjects  of 


16  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

the  paintings,  was  the  mantle,  carved  in  a  bacchana- 
lian procession  of  satyrs  and  nymphs — a  model  said 
to  have  been  made  by  Niccola  Pisano. 

The  floor,  of  the  inevitable  black  and  white  marble, 
was  strewn  with  rugs;  and  in  front  of  desk  and 
sofa  bear  skins  had  been  added  as  a  double  pro- 
tection against  the  cold.  The  furniture  was  modern 
upholstery,  with  gay  chintz  slip-covers.  Frilled 
muslin  curtains  were  crossed  over  and  draped  high 
under  outer  ones  of  chintz.  And  everywhere  there 
were  flowers — roses,  orange  blossoms,  and  camellias ; 
in  tall  jars  and  short,  on  every  available  piece  of 
furniture.  Scarcely  less  in  evidence  were  photo- 
graphs, propped  against  walls,  ornaments,  and 
flower  jars;  long,  narrow,  highly  glazed  European 
photographs  with  white  backgrounds,  uniformed  of- 
ficers, sentimentally  posed  engaged  couples,  young 
mothers  in  full  evening  dress  reading  to  barefooted 
babies  out  of  gingerly  held  picture  books.  There 
were  photographs  of  all  varieties;  big  ones  and 
little  ones,  framed  and  unframed — the  king  and  the 
queen  with  crown-surmounted  settings  and  boldly 
written  first  names,  and  "  A  la  cara  Eleanor  "  in- 
scribed above  that  of  her  majesty.  In  the  other 
photographs  the  signatures  grew  in  complication 
and  length  as  their  aristocratic  importance  dimin- 
ished. Books  and  magazines  littered  the  tables; 
French,  Italian,  and  English  in  indiscriminate  as- 
sociation. A  workbasket  of  plain  sewing  lay  open 
among  the  pillows  on  the  sofa.  An  American  maga- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  IT 

zine,  with  a  paper-knife  inserted  between  its  leaves, 
was  tossed  beside  a  tooled  morocco  edition  of  Tacitus. 
A  crucifix  hung  beneath  the  Correggio;  a  plaster 
model  of  the  Discobolus  stood  between  the  windows. 

And  in  the  midst  of  old  and  new,  religious  and 
pagan,  priceless  and  insignificant,  sat  her  Excel- 
lency, the  ex-American  beauty  and  present  chate- 
laine of  the  great  family  of  the  princes  of  the  San- 
severo,  in  a  golf  skirt  and  walking  boots,  a  plain 
starched  shirtwaist  and  stock  tie,  adding  to  the 
wrinkles  in  her  forehead  and  in  the  corners  of  her 
eyes  by  trying  to  figure  out  how,  with  forty  thou- 
sand lire,  she  was  going  to  pay  a  debt  of  sixty 
thousand  lire  and  have  enough  left  over  to  open  the 
great  palace  in  Rome,  and  realize  a  dream  that  had 
always  been  in  her  heart — to  take  Nina  out  in 
Roman  society,  to  give  herself  the  delight  of  show- 
ing Rome  to  Nina,  and  the  greater  delight  of  show- 
ing Nina  to  Rome. 

She  glanced  up  at  two  photographs,  the  only 
ones  on  her  desk.  The  first  was  of  her  husband, 
taken  in  the  fancy  costume  of  a  troubadour,  with 
the  signature  "  Sandro "  across  the  lower  half,  in 
characters  symbolical  of  the  song  he  might  have 
sung,  so  gay  and  ascending  was  the  handwriting. 
The  other  picture  was  of  a  young  woman  in  eve- 
ning dress.  The  face  was  bright  and  winning  rather 
than  pretty;  the  personality  really  chic,  and  this 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  girl's  clothes  were  over- 
elaborate.  Her  dress  was  a  mass  of  embroidery, 


18  THE   TITLE   MARKET 

and  around  her  throat  she  wore  a  diamond  collar. 
Diamond  hairpins  held  the  loops  of  waving  fair 
hair — very  like  the  princess's  own — and  two  hand- 
some rings  were  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand.  It  in 
no  way  suggested  the  Italian  idea  of  a  young  girl ; 
yet  there  was  a  youthful  freshness  in  the  expression 
of  the  face,  a  girlish  slimness  of  the  figure  that 
could  not  have  been  produced  by  touching  up  the 
negative.  Under  the  picture  was  written  in  a  clear 
and  modernly  square  handwriting,  "  To  my  own 
Auntie  Princess  with  love  from  Nina." 

The  name  "  Auntie  Princess  "  carried  as  much  of 
Nina's  personality  to  the  mind  of  her  aunt  as  the 
picture  itself.  It  was  the  one  her  childish  lips  had 
spoken  when  she  was  told  that  her  aunt  was  to 
marry  a  prince.  Most  distinct  of  all  Eleanor  San- 
severo's  memories  of  home  was  one  of  Nina  being 
held  up  high  above  the  crowd  at  the  end  of  the  pier 
to  blow  good-by  kisses  to  the  bride  of  a  foreign 
nobleman,  being  carried  out  into  the  river  whose 
widening  water  was  making  actual  the  separation 
between  herself  and  all  that  till  then  had  been 
her  life. 

It  was  only  for  a  little  while,  she  had  thought 
at  the  time.  She  would  go  back  once  a  year  or  so, 
surely;  an3  Nina  should  come  over  often.  But  in 
the  intervening  fifteen  years,  though  the  Randolphs 
had  been  in  Europe  many  times,  they  had  always 
chosen  midsummer  for  their  trip,  and  the  princess 
ihad  joined  her  sister  at  some  northern  city  or 


THE    TITLE   MARKET  19 

watering-place.  This  visit,  therefore,  was  to  be 
Nina's  first  glimpse  of  her  aunt's  home,  and  the 
princess  was  determined  that  she  should  not  spend 
the  time  desolately  in  the  country !  She  might  come 
here  for  a  little  while — for  reasons  that  the  princess 
would  have  found  hard  to  explain  to  herself,  she  did 
not  want  Nina  to  get  a  false  impression.  Yet  for 
nothing  would  she  have  exposed  her  husband's  fail- 
ing— even  to  her  own  family.  With  the  weakness  of 
a  true  wife,  she  never  dreamed  that  all  her  world 
suspected,  if  it  did  not  actually  know,  of  the  great 
inroads  on  her  fortune  that  his  gambling  had  made. 

The  princess  went  back  to  her  accounts,  but  no 
amount  of  auditing  made  the  sum  they  had  saved 
any  larger.  A  large  pearl  pendant  that  had  been 
the  Randolphs'  wedding  present  to  her,  and  a  ruby 
that  had  been  her  mother's,  were  her  only  remaining 
possessions  that  could  bring  anything  like  the  sum 
needed;  with  them  and  perhaps  notes  on  her  next 
year's  income,  they  might  make  up  the  full  amount. 
But  how  to  sell  the  jewels  was  the  problem.  There 
is  little  demand  for  really  fine  stones  in  Italy,  and 
besides,  they  might  be  recognized.  Long  before, 
she  had  sold  her  emerald  earrings  and  had  false 
ones  put  in  their  places.  She  had  hated  wearing 
the  imitations,  but  she  had  worn  the  real  ones  con- 
stantly, she  feared  their  sudden  absence  might  be 
noticed. 

Indeed,  as  it  was,  one  day  out  in  the  garden, 
when  Scorpa  was  sitting  near  her,  she  thought  she 


20  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

saw  a  knowing  gleam  in  his  eyes.  Afterwards  she 
tried  to  assure  herself  that  it  was  a  trick  of  her 
own  consciousness;  but  she  had  not  worn  the  ear- 
rings again  in  the  daytime — nor  ever  if  she  knew 
that  Scorpa  was  to  be  present. 

She  threw  down  her  pencil.  The  first  thing  at 
all  events  was  to  find  out  how  much  she  could  realize 
on  her  stones,  and  to  do  that  she  would  have  to  go 
to  Paris.  Taking  a  railroad  gazette  out  of  a  drawer, 
she  looked  up  trains.  Eight-thirty  mornings,  ar- 
riving at —  The  door  burst  open.  The  prince, 
exuberant,  his  face  wreathed  in  smiles,  skipped,  rather 
than  walked,  into  the  room.  In  pure  joyousness  he 
pinched  her  cheek. 

"  What  do  you  think,  my  dear  one?  It  is  all 
arranged.  We  can  have  la  bella  Nina ;  we  shall  go 
to  Rome  as  usual.  And  you,  you  more  than  gen- 
erous, shall  not  sell  any  jewels!" 

His  wife  did  not  at  once  echo  his  gladness;  in 
fact  she  seemed  frightened. 

"  What  has  happened?  You  have  not  made  a 
wager  and  won  ?  " 

He  looked  reproachful,  almost  sulky.  "  Leonora, 
unjust  you  are.  Have  I  not  promised?  But  I  will 
tell  you.  I  have  arranged  it  all  with  Scorpa.  I 
have  let  him  have  the  Raphael — as  security,  prac- 
tically— that  is,  I  have  sold  it  to  him  for  a  hundred 
thousand  lire — a  loan  merely — and  he  has  given  me 
the  privilege  of  buying  it  back  at  any  time,  with 
added  interest,  of  course.  There  will  be  no  need  of 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  21 

i 

paying  for  years.  He  is  enchanted,  as  he  has  always 
wanted  the  picture,  and  says  he  only  hopes  I  may 
never  wish  to  take  it  back." 

"  No,  don't  let  us  do  that,"  the  princess  broke  in, 
then  hesitated,  "  I  can't  tell  you  how  I  feel  about 
it,  but — I  don't  trust  Scorpa.  It  is  a  hard  thing 
to  say,  but  I  have  always  believed  he  persuaded  you 
into  buying  the  '  Little  Devil '  mine,  knowing  it 
could  not  be  worked.  Of  course,  dear,  that  heavy 
loss  may  not  have  been  his  fault,  but  I'd  so  much 
rather  never  have  any  dealings  with  him.  Besides, 
the  very  thing  I  wish  to  avoid  is  letting  people 
know  we  must  get  money." 

"  But,  cara  mia,  listen :  It  is  all  so  well  thought 
out,  no  one  will  know.  You  see,  we  go  to  Rome ;  this 
picture  hangs  in  an  empty  house,  which  through  the 
winter  is  very  damp,  and  bad,  therefore,  for  the 
painting.  Scorpa  keeps  his  house  open  and  heated; 
he  takes  care  of  it  on  that  account.  Is  that  not  a 
wonderful  reason  ?  " 

"  Whose  reason  was  that?  " 

"  Scorpa's  own !  "  He  danced  a  few  steps  in  his 
excess  of  delight. 

His  wife  arose  and  put  her  hand  on  his  arm. 
"  To  please  me,  do  not  send  the  picture.  I  can  sell 
the  jewels  and  have  false  stones  put  in  their  places. 
We  need  not  have  any  one  know.  But  I  don't  want 
to  remain  in  the  duke's  debt ! " 

"  The  picture  is  already  in  his  possession." 

"  In  his  possession  ?     But  how  ?  " 


22  THE   TITLE    MARKET 

"  He  drove  over  here  just  now,  followed  me  in  his 
motor-car,  and  took  it  back  with  him." 

The  princess  was  evidently  frightened.  "  What 
are  his  reasons  ?  "  she  said  to  herself,  yet  audibly. 

Her  husband  looked  at  her,  his  head  a  little  on 
one  side,  then  he  said  banteringly :  "  My  dear,  you 
Americans  are  too  analytical.  You  always  look  for 
a  motive.  Life  is  not  of  motive  over  here.  Have 
you  not  learned  that  in  all  these  years?  We  act 
from  impulse,  as  the  mood  takes  us — we  have  not 
the  hidden  thought  that  you  are  always  looking 
for." 

"  You  speak  for  yourself,  Sandro  mio,  but  all  are 
not  like  you.  However,  since  the  picture  is  gone — 
and  since  you  have  made  that  arrangement — let  it 
be.  I  may  do  Scorpa  injustice;  he  has  always  pro- 
fessed friendship  for  you — as  indeed  who  has  not?  " 
She  looked  at  him  with  the  softened  glance  that  one 
sees  in  a  mother's  face. 

Sansevero  seated  himself  at  the  desk  and  took  up 
the  photograph  of  Nina.  "  When  will  she  arrive  ?  " 
he  asked  buoyantly;  then  with  sudden  inspi- 
ration, "  Write  to  Giovanni  and  ask  him  to 
hurry  home.  If  Nina  should  fancy  him,  what  a 
prize ! " 

The  princess  frowned.  "  On  account  of  her 
money,  you  mean  ?  " 

"Ah,  but  one  must  think  of  that!  We  have  no 
children;  all  this  goes  to  Giovanni — with  Nina's 
immense  fortune  it  would  be  very  well.  We  could 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  23 

all  live  as  it  used  to  be;  there  are  the  apartments 
on  the  second  floor  in  Rome,  and  the  west  wing  here. 
I  can  think  of  nothing  more  fitting  or  delightful. 
Has  she  grown  pretty?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  you  would  call  her  pretty," 
mused  the  princess. 

"  Besides  you,  my  dearest,  a  beauty  might  seem 
plain !  "  His  wife  tried  to  look  indifferent,  but  she 
was  pleased,  nevertheless. 

"  Tell  me,  Sandro,  you  flatterer,  but  tell  me  hon- 
estly, am  I  still  pretty?  No,  really?  Will  Nina 
think  me  the  same,  or  will  her  thought  be  *  How  my 
Aunt  has  gone  off  '  ?  " 

Melodramatically  he  seized  her  wrists  and  drew 
her  to  the  window;  placing  her  in  the  full  light 
of  the  sun,  he  peered  with  mock  tragedy  into  her 
face.  "  Let  me  see.  Your  hair — no,  not  a  gray 
one!  The  gold  of  your  hair  at  least  I  have  not 
squandered — yet." 

"  Don't,  dear."  She  would  have  moved  away,  but 
he  held  her. 

"  Your  face  is  thinner,  but  that  only  shows  better 
its  beautiful  bones.  Ah,  now  your  smile  is  just  as 
delicious — but  don't  wrinkle  your  forehead  like  that ; 
it  is  full  of  lines.  So — that  is  better.  You  make 
the  eyes  sad  sometimes;  eyes  should  be  the  windows 
that  let  light  into  the  soul;  they  should  be  glad  and 
admit  only  sunshine."  Then  with  one  of  his  light- 
ning transitions  of  mood,  he  added,  not  without  a 
ring  of  emotion,  "  Mia  povera  betta" 


24  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

But  Eleanor  reached  up  and  took  his  face  be- 
tween her  hands.  "  As  for  you,"  she  said,  "  you 
are  always  just  a  boy.  Sometimes  it  is  impossible 
to  believe  you  are  older  than  I — I  think  I  should 
have  been  your  mother." 


CHAPTER   III 

NINA 

A  PONDEROUS,  glossy,  red  Limousine  turned 
in  under  the  wrought  bronze  portico  of  one 
of  the  palatial  houses  of  upper  Fifth  Avenue. 
As  the  car  stopped,  the  face  of  a  woman  of  about 
forty  appeared  at  its  window.  Her  expression  was 
one  of  fretful  annoyance,  as  though  the  footman 
who  had  sprung  off  the  box  and  hurried  up  the 
steps  to  ring  the  front  doorbell  had,  in  his  haste, 
stumbled  purposely.  The  look  she  gave  him,  as  he 
held  the  door  open  for  her  to  alight,  rebuked  plainly 
his  awkward  stupidity. 

Yet,  in  spite  of  Mrs.  Randolph's  petulant  ex- 
pression, it  was  evident  that  she  had  distinct  claims 
to  prettiness,  though  of  the  carefully  prolonged 
variety.  The  art  of  the  masseuse  was  visible  in 
that  curious  swollen  smoothness  of  the  skin  which 
gives  an  effect  of  spilled  candle-wax — its  lack  of 
wrinkles  never  to  be  mistaken  for  the  freshness  of 
youth.  Much  also  might  be  said  of  the  skill  with 
which  the  "  original  color "  of  her  hair  had  been 
preserved.  She  was  very  well  "  done,"  indeed ; 
every  detail  proclaimed  expenditure  of  time — other 
people's — and  money — her  own.  She  trotted,  rather 
than  walked,  as  though  bored  beyond  the  measure  of 

25 


26  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

endurance  and  yet  in  a  hurry.  Following  her  was 
a  slim,  fair-haired  young  girl,  who,  leaving  the  foot- 
man to  gather  up  a  number  of  parcels,  turned  to 
the  chauffeur.  Even  in  giving  an  order,  there  was 
a  winning  grace  in  her  lack  of  self-consciousness, 
and  her  voice  was  fresh  in  its  timbre,  enthusiastic  in 
its  inflection. 

"  Henri,"  she  said,  "  you  had  better  be  here  at 
three.  The  steamer  sails  at  four,  and  an  hour  will 
not  give  me  any  too  much  time.  Have  William  come 
for  Celeste  and  the  steamer  things  at  two.  The 
Panhard  will  be  best,  as  there  is  plenty  of  room  in 
the  tonneau."  Then  she  ran  lightly  up  the  steps 
and  into  the  house. 

The  first  impression  of  a  visitor  upon  entering 
the  hall  might  have  been  of  emptiness.  In  contrast 
to  the  over-elaborateness  characteristic  of  all  too 
many  American  homes  and  hotels,  obtruding  their 
highly  colored,  gold-laden  ornament,  the  Randolph 
house  rather  inclined  toward  an  austerity  of  decora- 
tion. But  after  the  first  general  impression,  more 
careful  observation  revealed  the  extreme  luxury  of 
appointments  and  details.  The  one  flaw — if  one 
might  call  it  such — was  that  every  article  in  the 
entire  house  was  spotlessly,  perfectly  brand-new. 
The  Persian  rugs,  pinkish  red  in  coloring  and  made 
expressly  to  tone  in  with  the  gray  white  marble  of 
the  hall,  were  direct  from  the  looms.  The  banister, 
of  beautiful  simplicity,  was  as  newly  wrought  as 
the  stainless  velvet  with  which  the  hand-rail  was 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  27 

covered.  From  the  hall  opened  faultlessly  ex- 
ecuted rooms,  each  correctly  adhering  to  the 
"  period  "  that  had  been  selected.  The  library  was 
possibly  more  furnished  than  the  rest  of  the  house; 
but  even  here  the  touch  of  a  magician's  wand  might 
have  produced  the  bookcases  of  Circassian  walnut 
ready  filled  with  evenly  matched,  leather  bound, 
finely  tooled  volumes.  It  would  have  been  a  relief 
to  see  a  few  shabby,  old-calf  folios,  a  few  more  com- 
mon and  every-day,  in  cloth  or  buckram ! 

On  the  mind  of  a  carping  critic  the  universal 
newness  might  have  forced  the  question,  "  Where 
did  the  family  live  before  they  came  here?  Did  all 
their  accumulation  of  personal  belongings  burn  with 
an  old  homestead?  Or  did  they  start  fresh  with 
their  new  house,  coming  from  nowhere?  "  One  could 
imagine  their  having  superintended  the  moving-in 
of  crates  and  boxes  innumerable,  but  the  idea  of 
vans  piled  with  heterogeneous  personal  effects  that 
had  accumulated  through  years Impossible ! 

As  Mrs.  Randolph  and  her  daughter  entered,  a 
servant  opened  the  doors  leading  into  the  dining- 
room,  and  Mrs.  Randolph  turned  at  once  in  that 
direction. 

"  You  don't  want  to  go  upstairs  before  luncheon, 
do  you,  Nina  ?  " 

**  Yes,  for  a  moment,  Mamma.  I  want  to  speak 
to  Celeste  about  the  things  for  my  steamer  trunk." 
Her  mother  suggested  sending  a  servant,  but  Nina 
had  already  gone.  She  entered  an  elevator  that  in 


28  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

contrast  to  the  severity  of  the  hall  looked  like  a 
gilt  bird  cage  with  mirrors  set  between  the  bars, 
pushed  a  button,  and  mounted  two  flights. 

On  emerging,  she  went  into  her  own  bedroom, 
which,  from  the  Aubusson  carpet  to  the  Dresden 
and  ormolu  appliques,  might  have  arrived  in  a  bon- 
bon box  direct  from  the  avenue  de  1'Opera  in  Paris. 
At  the  present  moment  two  steamer  trunks  stood 
gaping  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  tissue  paper  was 
scattered  about  on  various  chairs,  the  dressing-table 
was  bare  of  silver,  and  a  traveling  bag  displayed  a 
row  of  gold  bottle  and  brush  tops.  Nina  threw  her 
packages  on  a  couch  already  littered  with  empty 
boxes,  wrapping-paper,  new  books  and  various  other 
articles. 

"  Have  the  other  trunks  gone,  Celeste?  " 

"  Yes,  Mademoiselle." 

"  Any  messages  for  me?  " 

"  Mr.  Derby  telephoned  that  he  would  be  here 
soon  after  lunch.  Miss  Lee  also  telephoned.  And 
Mr.  Travers." 

Nina  listened,  half  absently,  except  possibly  for 
a  flickering  interest  at  the  mention  of  Mr.  Derby. 
She  went  into  an  adjoining  room  that  had  a  deep 
plunge  bath  of  white  marble,  and  a  white  bear  rug 
on  the  floor.  A  sliding  panel  in  the  wall  disclosed 
a  safe,  from  which  she  gathered  together  several 
velvet  boxes,  and  carried  them  to  her  maid. 

"  Are  these  all  that  Mademoiselle  will  take  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  enough — I  don't  know,  though,  the 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  29 

emerald  pendant  looks  well  on  gray  dresses."  She 
got  another  velvet  box  and  threw  it  on  the  floor. 
"  I  ordered  the  Panhard  to  be  here  for  you  at  two 
o'clock.  They  can  put  the  trunks  in  the  tonneau. 
My  stateroom  is  '  B,'  yours  is  107." 

Quickly  as  she  had  entered,  she  was  gone  again, 
into  the  elevator  and  down  to  join  her  mother. 

"  Really,  Nina,"  Mrs.  Randolph  said  as  soon  as 
her  daughter  was  seated,  "  I  can't  see  what  you 
want  to  go  to  Rome  for.  I  am  sure  it's  more  com- 
fortable here.  I  hate  visiting,  myself."  As  she 
spoke  she  set  straight  a  piece  of  silver  that  to  her 
critical  eye  seemed  an  eighth  of  an  inch  out  of 
line. 

"  But,  Mamma,  you  know  how  keen  I  have  al- 
ways been  to  see  Aunt  Eleanor's  home.  Being  with 
her  can  hardly  seem  visiting ;  and  Uncle  Sandro " 

"  What  your  aunt  ever  saw  in  Sandro  Sansevero," 
interrupted  her  mother,  "  I'm  sure  I  can't  imagine. 
He's  always  bobbing  and  bowing  and  gesticulating, 
and  he  talks  broken  English.  He  makes  me  nervous ! 
I'd  infinitely  rather  be  without  a  title  than  have  it 
at  that  price." 

"  You  have  always  told  me  that  theirs  was  a 
love  match,  that  Aunt  Eleanor  did  not  marry  him 
for  his  title." 

"That  is  just  the  senseless  part  of  it!"  Mrs. 
Randolph  retorted  with  a  fine  disregard  for  con- 
sistency. "  If  she  had  married  him  for  his  name — 
which,  after  all,  is  a  good  one,  although  princes  are 


30  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

as  common  in  Italy  as  *  misters '  are  here — that 
would  have  been  one  thing.  But  she  was  actually 
in  love  with  him !  She  is  yet,  so  far  as  I  can  see !  " 

Nina  burst  out  laughing,  and,  as  though  catching 
the  infection,  Mrs.  Randolph  laughed  too.  They 
were  interrupted  by  the  butler's  announcing  "  Mr. 
Derby!" 

John  Derby  was  a  young  man  of  twenty-five, 
broad  shouldered  and  well  over  six  feet.  His  fea- 
tures were  a  little  too  rugged  to  be  strictly  hand- 
some, but  his  spare  frame  was  as  muscular  as  that 
of  a  young  gladiator.  So  much  at  least  our  col- 
leges do  for  the  sons  we  send  to  them.  John  Derby 
had  made  both  the  'Varsity  eight  and  the  eleven ; 
he  had  been  a  young  god  at  the  end  of  June  when, 
captain  of  the  victorious  boat,  his  classmates  had 
borne  him  on  their  shoulders  to  their  club-house. 
That  night  there  had  been  toasting  and  speeches 
and  what  not — he  was  a  very  "  big  man  "  of  a  very 
big  university ;  and  perhaps  nothing  that  life  might 
ever  give  him  in  the  future  could  overshadow  this 
experience. 

All  hail  to  the  victor — and  glorious  be  his  remem- 
brances. Exit  our  Greek  god  at  the  end  of  June, 
to  be  replaced  by  a  young  American  citizen  about 
the  first  of  July — one  small  atom  who  thinks  to 
make  the  same  sized  mark  on  the  great  plain  of  life 
that  he  made  on  the  college  campus.  All  the  same, 
there  were  good  clean  ideals  back  of  John  Derby's 
blue  eyes,  and  fresh,  healthy  young  blood  surged 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  SI 

through  his  veins.  What  is  the  world  for,  if  not 
for  such  as  he  to  conquer? 

Thousands  had  called  "  Derby !  Derby !  Go  it, 
Derby ! "  when  he  made  his  famous  sixty-yard  run 
down  the  gridiron.  Yet  it  is  well  to  remember  that 
the  victory  came  at  the  end  of  ten  years'  training  at 
school  and  college,  after  many  bruises,  some  dislo- 
cations, and  not  a  few  breaks.  With  such  discipline, 
there  was  after  all  no  reason  to  wonder  that  he 
donned  overalls  and  went  to  a  desolate  settlement 
of  brick  chimneys,  smelters,  and  shack  dwellings,  set 
on  the  sides  of  hills,  which,  because  of  sulphurous 
fumes,  were  bleak  as  sandhills  in  Sahara. 

He  had  taken  up  his  work  at  Copper  Rock  ex- 
actly as  he  had  taken  up  his  practice  under  the 
athletic  coaches.  He  gave  all  the  best  of  him,  from 
the  earliest  to  the  latest  possible  hours;  and  night 
saw  him  stretched  on  a  bunk  which  would  have  made 
his  mother  wince,  but  upon  which  he  slept  the  sleep 
of  healthy,  tired  youth. 

Three  years  he  had  spent  in  this  place.  Twice 
in  that  time  furnace  explosions  had  sent  him  home 
to  be  nursed.  But  he  suppressed  the  horrors  and 
related  only  enthusiastic  tales  of  metallurgical  pos- 
sibilities. In  the  main,  however,  he  was  strong 
enough  to  stand  it.  It  did  him  a  vast  amount  of 
good;  and  the  end  of  three  years  saw  him  saying 
good-by  with  something  akin  to  regret  to  the  bleak 
shacks  on  the  bleaker  hills,  and  to  the  men  he  had 
grown  to  know  and  appreciate. 


82  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

An  improved  form  of  blast  furnace  that  he  had 
patented,  eased  his  first  strenuous  need  of  money. 
And  the  present  moment  found  him  vice-president 
of  a  mining  and  smelting  company,  temporarily  back 
among  his  old  friends,  and  somewhat  in  his  old  life 
again.  He  was  too  busy  and  too  interested  in  his 
work  to  spend  any  effort  outside  of  it;  but  there 
were  one  or  two  houses  where  he  went,  and  one  of 
them  was  the  Randolphs'.  The  Randolph  and 
Derby  country  places  adjoined,  and  since  early  boy- 
hood he  had  been  as  much  at  home  in  one  house  as 
in  the  other. 

Mrs.  Randolph  had  taken  his  college  achievements 
complacently  as  a  tribute  to  her  discernments  in 
having  nurtured  an  eagle  in  her  own  swan's  nest. 
But  his  work  at  Copper  Rock  seemed  to  her  a 
fanatical  whim.  She  no  more  appreciated  the 
benefit  of  the  experience  than  she  understood  the 
persevering  grit  that  was  the  real  reason  for  her 
liking  him.  Nina,  having  adored  him  as  a  Greek 
god,  continued  her  allegiance  to  the  workman  at  Cop- 
per Rock.  She  had  written  him  letters  regularly; 
she  had  even  sent  him  provision  baskets.  To  her- 
self she  questioned  whether  the  end  he  was  striving 
for  might  not  be  reached  by  smoother  roads ;  but  if 
any  one  else  suggested  that  he  was  doing  an  ir- 
rational thing,  she  flew  up  in  arms.  And  now  as 
he  came  into  the  dining-room  his  "  Hello,  Nina ! " 
was  much  as  a  brother's  might  have  been,  and  he 
kissed  Mrs.  Randolph's  cheek. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  33 

"Will  you  have  lunch,  John?"  she  smiled  up  at 
him.  "  It  is  all  cold  by  now,  I  dare  say !  " 

"  No,  thanks,  I  lunched  downtown ;  but  I'll  sit 
here  if  I  may."  He  picked  up  a  knife  from  the 
table  and  cut  the  string  of  a  package  he  held  in 
his  hand.  "  I  brought  you  these,  Nina.  Have  you 
read  all  of  them  ?  " 

Nina  finished  a  mouthful  of  nectarine  and  picked 
up  the  books  one  by  one. 

No,  she  had  not  read  any  of  them.  So  he  went 
on  to  explain:  he  knew  the  cowboy  story  was  a 
corker,  and  another,  of  Arizona,  described  an  In- 
dian fight  in  the  Bad  Lands  that  was  capital.  He 
did  not  know  much  about  the  others,  but  the  man 
at  the  shop  had  told  him  two  were  very  funny; 
he  had  bought  the  rest  on  account  of  their  illustra- 
tions. 

Nina  laughed  deliciously  with  real  joy — she  loved 
his  selection,  because  it  seemed  to  express  him. 

"  It  was  awfully  sweet  of  you,  Jack.  And  I 
shall  adore  them !  I  am  so  glad  you  did  not  bring 
the  regular  selection  of  *  Walks  in  Rome.' ' 

"  What  I  ought  to  have  brought  you,"  he  an- 
swered, "  was  a  big  thick  journal — one  of  those 
padlocked  ones — to  write  up  Italian  court  life  as  it 
really  is.  You  mustn't  miss  such  a  chance!  It 
could  be  published  after  everybody  mentioned  in  it, 
is  dead,  including  yourself.  Wouldn't  it  be  great !  " 

"  You  need  not  make  fun  of  me.  I  don't  think 
you  half  appreciate  how  wonderful  it  is  going  to 


34  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

be,"  Nina  returned  enthusiastically.  "  Think  of  it, 
I  am  going  to  live  in  a  palace !  " 

Derby  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed. 

"  What  do  you  call  this  house?  It  is  a  great 
deal  more  of  a  palace  than  the  tumble-down,  musty 
ones  of  Italy." 

Mrs.  Randolph  seemed  enchanted  with  this  re- 
joinder, for  she  laughed  rather  exultantly  as  she 
exclaimed,  "  Nina  will  be  ready  enough  to  come 
home  at  the  end  of  a  week ! " 

Instead  of  answering  Nina  jumped  up  from  the 
table,  calling  "  There  you  are  at  last,  Father 
darling ! " 

Her  father,  a  man  of  distinguished  presence,  had 
come  into  the  room  looking  at  his  watch  from  force 
of  habit.  And  though  his  eyes  rested  upon  his 
daughter  with  very  evident  pride  and  affection,  the 
custom  of  quickly  terminated  interviews  and  the 
economy  of  precious  time  gave  a  sharp,  decisive  curt- 
ness  to  his  manner.  Every  one  who  came  in  con- 
tact with  him  felt  the  impelling  necessity  of  coming 
to  the  point  as  clearly  and  tersely  as  possible.  Just 
now,  with  a  "  Hello,  John,  my  boy,"  he  held  out 
his  hand  to  Derby  and  shook  his  head  negatively 
in  answer  to  his  wife's  inquiry  if  he  wanted 
luncheon. 

"Well,  are  you  ready  to  start?"  he  asked  his 
daughter,  smiling.  And  then  to  Derby  he  added, 
"  Excuse  Nina  for  a  few  moments,  John ;  I  want 
to  speak  with  her.  You  are  going  down  to  the 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  35 

steamer  with  her,  of  course  ?  "  As  Derby  answered 
affirmatively,  Nina  picked  up  her  books  and  fol- 
lowed her  father. 

In  his  own  study  he  drew  her  to  a  sofa  beside 
him,  and  from  a  number  of  papers  in  his  pocket  he 
handed  her  an  envelope. 

"  Here  is  your  letter  of  credit.  I  doubt  if  you 
will  need  the  whole  amount  of  it.  If,  on  the  con- 
trary, you  find  you  want  more  for  anything  special, 
write  or  cable  to  the  office." 

Out  of  another  pocket  he  drew  a  white  muslin 
bag,  such  as  bankers  use.  It  held  a  quantity  of 
Italian  gold  and  a  roll  of  Italian  bank  notes.  This 
was  "  change "  to  have  with  her  when  she  should 
arrive.  He  talked  with  her  for  some  time  on 
various  topics ;  on  the  beauty  of  Italy,  the  charm  of 
the  people ;  of  his  admiration  for  Eleanor  Sansevero. 
"  But  dearest,"  he  ended,  "  one  word  on  the  subject 
of  European  men:  you  will  probably  have  a  good 
deal  of  attention.  I  don't  want  to  spoil  your  en- 
joyment, but  you  must  remember  the  hard,  cold  fact 
that  it  will  be  chiefly  because  you  are  Miss 
Millionaire." 

"  I  am  sure  they  couldn't  be  any  more  after  *  Miss 
Millionaire '  over  there  "than  here."  She  began 
calmly  enough,  but  grew  vehement  as  she  continued: 
"  How  many  of  the  proposals  that  I  have  had  from 
my  own  countrymen  during  the  past  two  years  have 
been  for  me,  the  girl,  and  not  merely  for  your 
daughter?  " 


36  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Her  father,  having  stirred  up  her  resentment,  now 
tried  to  soothe  it  down  again. 

"  You  must  not  get  cynical,  little  girl.  Every 
advantage  in  this  world  must  have  its  corresponding 
disadvantage.  I  merely  want  you  to  follow  your 
extremely  sensible  and  well-balanced  head.  Only, 
remember,"  he  added  with  bantering  good-humor,  "  I 
am  not  over  keen  about  foreigners,  so  don't  bring  a 
little  what-is-it  back  with  you,  and  expect  because 
it  has  a  long  string  of  titles  dangling  to  it,  that  it 
will  be  welcomed  with  any  enthusiasm  by  your  doting 
father !  So,  away  with  you !  "  He  again  looked  at 
his  watch.  "  Better  get  your  things  together ;  you 
haven't  any  too  much  time." 

As  soon  as  Nina  left  him,  instead  of  rejoining  his 
wife  and  Derby  he  sat  at  his  desk  and  was  im- 
mediately absorbed  in  making  figures  with  the  stub 
of  a  pencil  on  the  back  of  an  envelope.  He  was  still 
there  when  Nina,  in  coat  and  furs,  came  downstairs 
again  to  the  library,  where  her  mother  and  Derby 
were  now  waiting. 

"  Well,  are  you  ready  at  last  ?  Where  is  your 
father  ?  What  is  he  doing  now  ?  "  her  mother  de- 
manded with  a  pout,  as  if  his  absence  were  quite 
Nina's  fault,  and  as  if  whatever  his  occupation 
might  be  it  especially  annoyed  her.  She  fluttered 
to  the  doorway  of  his  study  and  looked  in. 

"  James,  I  really  think  you  might  give  some 
thought  to  your  family.  Nina  is  going  now."  She 
spoke  in  a  babyish,  aggrieved  tone.  He  did  not 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  37 

look  up,  and  Mrs.  Randolph  did  not  repeat  her  re- 
mark ;  she  turned  instead  to  her  daughter.  "  Go  in 
and  tell  your  father  that  I  think  he  might  pay  you 
some  attention." 

Nina  went  over  behind  his  chair,  and  gently  put 
her  cheek  down  to  his.  She  did  not  interrupt  him, 
but  let  him  finish  the  calculation  he  was  doing;  and 
he  turned  to  her  after  about  a  minute. 

"  All  right,  sweetheart,  come  along." 

Having  put  his  envelope  in  his  pocket,  he  dis- 
missed whatever  it  meant  completely  from  his  mind, 
and  Nina  held  his  undivided  attention  as  he  went 
down  the  steps  with  her  to  the  motor,  into  which 
Derby  had  already  put  Mrs.  .Randolph.  As  soon 
as  they  were  all  in  and  the  machine  started,  Nina 
leaned  forward  and  called  to  the  butler,  "  Good-by, 
Dawson ! "  And  for  once  the  man's  face  lost  its 
imperturbability,  as  he  answered  fervently,  "  Good- 
by,  miss,  and  a  safe  return — home !  " 

"  Safe  return — home."  For  a  moment  the  ques- 
tion entered  her  head — was  there  any  doubt  of  her 
returning?  With  the  apprehension  came  also  a 
slight  sense  of  excitement — but  soon  she  had  for- 
gotten. While  they  sped  toward  the  dock,  Mrs. 
Randolph,  possibly  a  little  piqued  that  her  daugh- 
ter could  want  to  spend  the  winter  away  from  her, 
showed  her  authority  by  endless  directions  and  coun- 
sels. As  she  completely  monopolized  the  conversa- 
tion as  far  as  Nina  was  concerned,  the  two  men 
talked  together,  and  Nina's  responses  gradually 


38  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

drifted  into  a  series  of  "  Yes,  Mamma's,"  to  ad- 
monitions that  were  but  half  heard,  until  her  wan- 
dering attention  was  brought  up  with  a  sharp  turn 
by  her  mother's  impatient  exclamation : 

"  For  goodness  sake,  Nina,  try  to  be  less 
monotonous ! " 

Nina  roused  herself  quickly.  "  I  am  sorry, 
Mamma  dear!  I  did  not  think  there  was  anything 
for  me  to  say.  Please  don't  be  put  out  with  me, 
just  now  when  I  am  going  away! " 

They  had  by  this  time  arrived  at  the  steamer, 
and  went  for  a  moment  to  see  Nina's  cabin,  where 
they  found  Celeste  trying  to  reduce  to  some  sem- 
blance of  order  the  innumerable  baskets  of  fruit  and 
boxes  of  flowers  with  which  it  was  crowded. 

Derby  looked  perhaps  a  trifle  chagrined  at  the 
profusion,  as  Nina  gave  a  cursory  glance  at  the 
cards  that  Celeste  had  affixed  to  each  opened  box. 
But  with  a  curious  little  smile — one  that  had  real 
sweetness  in  it — Nina  picked  up  a  particular  bunch 
of  violets,  and  looked  at  Derby  over  their  clustered 
fragrance  as  she  lifted  them  to  her  face.  She  let 
the  look  thank  him — and  then  she  pinned  the 
flowers  on. 

Mrs.  Randolph  did  not  see  the  wordless  scene, 
as  she  was  busy  reading  cards  and  making  char- 
acteristic comments.  Mr.  Randolph  had  stopped  to 
make  sure  that  the  luggage  was  attended  to.  He 
now  appeared,  and  with  him  Mrs.  Gray,  with  whom 
Nina  was  to  make  the  crossing.  Mrs.  Gray  shook 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  89 

hands  with  every  one,  called  Nina  a  "  precious 
child,"  told  her  where  the  steamer  chairs  had  been 
placed,  and  disappeared.  On  the  promenade  deck 
Nina  found  a  throng  of  young  girls  and  men  wait- 
ing for  her.  They  all  chattered  together  in  a  group 
and  plied  her  with  questions :  Was  she  going  to  be 
presented  at  court?  Was  she  going  to  live  in  an 
old  castle?  What  was  her  uncle  the  prince  like? 
How  wonderful  to  spend  a  season  in  Rome?  They 
wished  they  were  going,  too — and  so  they  went  on. 

But  at  a  moment  when  the  others  were  all  talking 
loudly,  John  Derby  managed  to  draw  Nina  aside. 
He  looked  down  at  her  with  an  expression  half- 
quizzical,  half -serious.  "  This  is  about  the  time  we 
come  to  the  *  great  divide,'  "  he  said.  "  Your  trail 
lies  to  the  palaces  of  the  Old  World;  mine  to  dig 
holes  in  remote  corners  of  the  New.  You'll  write  me, 
won't  you?  My  letters  will  be  pretty  dull,  I  am 
afraid — same  old  story:  a  laborer's  day,  and  oc- 
casionally a  Sunday's  ride  to  get  the  mail  at  the 
nearest  ranch." 

"  Then  I'll  make  mine  doubly  thick — so  they  will 
seem  like  packets.  I  may  even  write  that  famous 
journal  and  send  it  in  instalments  to  you!"  Then 
suddenly  the  banter  died  of  her  eyes  and  voice  and 
she  said  half-sentimentally :  "  Dear  old  Jack ! 
Most  of  every  one  I  shall  miss  you.  I  hope 
things  will  go  famously  for  you.  You  have  my 
address  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  and  mine  is  Breakstone,  Arizona,  care  of 


40  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Burk  Mining  Company.  Well,"  he  smiled,  "  good 
hunting  to  both  of  us !  " 

There  was  still  plenty  of  time  before  the  ship 
sailed,  but  Mr.  Randolph  was  leaving.  He  had  been 
talking  with  another  financier  who  was  seeing  his  own 
family  off,  and  now  came  up  between  his  daughter 
and  Derby. 

"  If  you  will  go  with  me  now,"  he  said  to  the  lat- 
ter, "  we  can  talk  over  the  Louisiana  sulphur 
proposition  on  the  way  to  my  office."  Then  he 
turned  to  Nina :  "  It  is  barely  possible  you  may  see 
John  in  Italy  before  the  winter  is  over." 

Nina  raised  her  eyebrows  as  she  looked  at  Derby. 
"  You  said  you  were  going  to  Arizona ! "  she  said 
accusingly. 

But  Derby's  expression  showed  that  he  was  as 
much  in  the  dark  as  she.  Mr.  Randolph  wagged  his 
head  as  though  altogether  pleased  with  the  situa- 
tion. *'  Of  course,  he  is  going  to  Arizona,  and  very 
likely  he'll  stay  there — on  the  other  hand,  maybe 
he  won't.  Now  that's  something  for  you  to  think 
about  besides  speculating  on  the  length  of  name  of 
each  stranger  you  meet."  He  kissed  her  affection- 
ately on  both  cheeks  and,  giving  Derby  barely  a 
chance  to  shake  hands  with  her,  hurried  him  away. 

People  were  beginning  their  final  good-byes,  and 
from  where  Nina  and  her  friends  stood  by  the  deck 
rail,  there  was  a  clear  view  of  the  gang  plank  and 
the  ship's  departing  visitors.  It  was  from  this  van- 
tage that  several  pairs  of  envious  young  masculine 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  41 

eyes,  looking  downward,  saw  the  right  hand  of  the 
great  and  only  James  B.  Randolph  affectionately 
laid  on  the  broad  shoulder  of  an  ex-oarsman  and 
football  player.  And  for  as  long  as  the  two  were 
in  sight  it  was  the  ex-oarsman  who  talked,  and  the 
great  financier  who  listened. 


CHAPTER    IV 

THE   DUKE   SCORPA   MAKES  A   DEAL 

IN  the  branch  office  of  Shayne  &  Co.,  in  the  Via 
Condotti,  Rome,  Mr.  Shayne  arose  from  his 
desk,  rearranged  his  diamond  scarf-pin  in  his 
gray  satin  Ascot  tie,  flicked  two  imaginary  par- 
ticles of  dust  from  his  tight-fitting  cutaway  coat, 
whisked  his  silk  handkerchief  out  of  his  breast 
pocket  and  in  again,  so  that  the  lavender  border 
was  visible,  cleared  his  throat,  and  stood  in  an  at- 
titude of  agreeable  expectancy. 

Directly  the  door  of  his  private  room  was  dis- 
creetly opened,  admitting  a  square-jawed,  beetle- 
browed  man,  heavy  and  ugly — a  coarse  type,  yet 
not  without  distinction.  The  two  men  did  not  shake 
hands.  Mr.  Christopher  Shayne  bowed  blandly, 
deferentially,  yet  not  servilely,  and  again  he  cleared 
his  throat.  The  visitor  nodded  as  though  there  upon 
an  affair  of  business  that  he  was  anxious  to  have 
terminated  as  speedily  as  possible. 

"  Will  you  be  seated  ? — I  think  you  will  find  this 
chair  comfortable."  Mr.  Shayne  indicated  a  chair 
with  a  wave  of  his  hand.  "  The  letter  which  I  have 
from  your  Excellency  is  a  trifle  indefinite.  But  I 
take  it  that  you  have  something  of  more  than  or- 
dinary importance  to  communicate."  He  finished 

42 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  43 

« 

his  sentence  by  giving  his  mustache  a  thoughtful 
twirl  upward,  first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the 
other. 

The  Duke  Scorpa  let  his  rat-like  eyes  rest  a  mo- 
ment upon  the  alert  face  of  Mr.  Shayne  before  he 
answered :  "  You  said  once  in  my  presence  that  you 
had  long  wanted  to  acquire  a  Raphael.  I  am  in 
a  position  at  present  to  offer  you  one." 

"  A  Raphael !  "  Shayne  showed  genuine  surprise. 
"  I  do  not  remember  one  in  your  collection." 

"  It  is  not  in  my  own  collection.  Before  giving 
you  further  details,  however,  I  must  be  assured  that 
you  are  still  anxious  to  purchase,  and  also  that  you 
will  observe  strict  secrecy  with  regard  to  it." 

"  In  answer  to  the  first,  such  an  opportunity  is 
beyond  question  of  interest  to  me;  in  answer  to  the 
second,  my  reputation  should  be  a  guarantee  of  my 
discretion.  I  hope  the  picture  you  have  in  view  is 
not  the  Asanai  one — for  there  is  much  doubt  as  to  its 
being  genuine." 

"  No,  the  one  I  speak  of  is  the  Sansevero 
Madonna." 

In  spite  of  himself  Mr.  Shayne  blew  a  long 
whistle.  "  The  Sansevero  Madonna  with  the  doves !  " 
he  reiterated.  "  That  is  a  prize !  I  am  astonished, 

though "  It  was  on  his  tongue  to  say  that  he 

had  thought  the  Prince  Sansevero  beyond  the  sus- 
picion of  illegal  sale  of  treasures ;  but,  checking  him- 
self in  time,  he  finished  his  sentence — "  that  he  should 
be  willing  to  part  with  it.  Besides,  it  is  a  danger- 


44  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

ous  thing  for  him  to  sell,  on  account  of  its  cele- 
brity." 

"So  I  told  him."  The  Duke  Scorpa  lied  per- 
fectly. "  But  it  is  better,  after  all,  to  sell  one 
thing  that  will  bring  in  a  good  price  than  to  sell 
a  number  of  things  that  bring  in  little,  and  yet 
incur  the  same  amount  of  risk  in  getting  them  out 
of  the  country."  Here  the  duke's  manner  became 
almost  confidential.  "  As  I  told  you,  I  am  of  course 
acting  merely  in  the  interest  of  my  friend  the  Prince 
Sansevero.  Selling  against  the  law  of  my  country 
would  be  abhorrent  to  me  personally.  But  my 
friend,  poor  fellow,  is  hard  pressed  for  money. 
And,  as  he  argues,  the  picture  is  his,  and  has  been 
in  his  family  since  long  before  our  government  ever 
made  such  laws.  He  considers  he  has  a  right — or 
should  have — to  dispose  of  property  that  is  his  own. 
The  government  would  pay  not  more  than  half  what 
you  will  give  me,  I  am  sure." 

"  Of  course,  of  course.  I  have  long  coveted  that 
Raphael.  On  the  other  hand,  as  I  said,  the  picture 
is  so  very  well  known  and  so  excellent  that  it  could 
hardly  be  palmed  off  as  a  copy.  Also  the  canvas 
is  large,  which  will  make  it  very  difficult  to  conceal. 
It  is  still  at  Torre  Sansevero,  I  suppose?  " 

"  No,  it  is  here  in  Rome.  It  is  removed  from  the 
frame  and  is  at  present  in  my  palace.  I  suppose 
the  offer  that  you  once  told  me  you  would  make  still 
holds  good  ?  " 

The  American  looked  shrewd.     "  Did  I  name  a 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  45 

sum?  I  do  not  remember.  Ah,  yes.  But  that  was 
for  a  very  rich  man  who  has  since  bought  a  Velas- 
quez. I  doubt  if  he  will  buy  any  more." 

Scorpa  rose  as  though  to  leave.  "  My  friend 
wants  five  hundred  thousand  lire." 

Mr.  Shayne  laughed  scornfully.  "  Preposter- 
ous !  "  he  said,  and  from  that  they  argued  for  nearly 
half  an  hour ;  but  in  the  end  it  was  settled  that  the 
picture  should  change  hands,  and  the  price  agreed 
upon  was  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  lire. 

In  the  matter  of  payment  the  duke  was  punctilious 
about  protecting  his  friend  the  Prince  Sansevero 
from  the  consequences  of  his  transgression  of  the 
law.  Shayne  agreed  to  make  his  payments  in  cash, 
so  that  Sansevero's  name  should  not  appear  on  the 
checks. 

But  Christopher  Shayne  was  more  than  skeptical 
about  the  duke's  disinterestedness.  "  There  is  a 
rake-off  for  this  one  somewhere,"  he  thought.  He 
also  thought  that  for  once  he  had  been  mistaken  in 
his  judgment  of  character.  Sansevero  had  been, 
in  his  opinion,  a  man  who  would  sooner  starve  than 
defraud  the  government.  So  strongly  did  he  believe 
this  that  although  he  had,  as  the  duke  knew,  long 
coveted  the  Raphael,  he  would  never  have  dared  to 
approach  Sansevero. 

After  the  duke  had  gone  Shayne  went  out  and 
personally  sent  a  code  cable  announcing  his  purchase. 

"  Well,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  it's  no  business  of 
mine.  But  duke  or  no  duke,  he  is  a  slick  one.  I 


46  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

don't  like  him.  I  can  tell,  though,  whether  it  is 
the  Sansevero  picture  as  soon  as  I  lay  my  eyes  on 
it — but  what  gets  me  is  that  the  prince  chose  such 
a  go-between.  Why  didn't  he  come  to  me  direct?  " 
He  didn't  puzzle  over  that  long,  however;  planning 
to  get  the  picture  out  of  Italy  occupied  his  at- 
tention. An  excellent  idea  presented  itself:  some 
furniture  ordered  by  his  firm  should  carry  it  in  a 
sofa,  and  his  partner  should  be  advised  by  cipher 
letter  to  remove  the  picture.  J.  B.  Randolph  would 
buy  it,  without  doubt — no  need  to  tell  him  how  it 
came  into  Shayne  &  Co.'s  hands.  They  could 
swear  they  bought  it  in  London.  Plausible  stories 
of  masterpieces  discovered  in  out  of  the  way  corners 
were  easily  enough  manufactured.  So  these  thoughts 
all  being  to  his  utmost  satisfaction,  he  went  whistling 
down  the  street. 

The  Duke  Scorpa  at  the  same  time  was  being 
driven  cheerfully  homeward.  That  had  been  a 
stroke,  that  idea  of  pretending  he  was  merely  the 
intermediary.  He  had  got  the  picture  for  a  loan 
of  one  hundred  thousand,  and  had  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  clear  profit.  There  was  nothing  to 
show  his  transaction  with  Sansevero.  No  money 
had  passed  between  them,  not  even  a  scrap  of  paper. 
He  had  torn  up  the  prince's  I.  O.  U.,  and  that  was 
all  the  evidence  there  had  been.  Christopher  Shayne, 
besides,  was  a  shrewd  man  and  reliable,  and  one 
who  never  had  been  caught  in  a  questionable  transac- 
tion. To  be  sure,  Scorpa  had  given  Sansevero  his 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  47 

word  (but  again  there  was  no  proof,  that  he  would 
let  him  retrieve  the  picture  at  an  advanced  price 
that  should  be  merely  the  accrued  compound  interest 
on  the  money  lent.  In  case  of  his  being  able  to 
reclaim  it,  Scorpa  would  pretend  that  the  picture 
was  burnt  or  stolen — time  enough  to  cross  bridges 
when  he  came  to  them.  But  that  chance  was  be- 
yond all  probability.  There  was  no  way  for  San- 
severo  ever  to  secure  enough  money  to  get  back  the 
picture — unless,  indeed,  his  younger  brother  Gio- 
vanni should  marry  the  great  American  heiress  who 
was  on  her  way  to  Italy  for  the  winter. 

"  I  hardly  think  that  likely,"  said  the  Duke  Scorpa 
to  himself,  as  he  stroked  his  heavy  chin  with  his  fat 
hand,  "  for  I  intend  to  annex  that  little  fortune 
myself." 


CHAPTER    V 

DON   GIOVANNI  ARRIVES 

IT  was  a  few  days  after  Nina's  arrival  in  Italy; 
one  of  the  glorious  mornings  when  the  famous 
Sansevero  gardens  were  full  of  golden  light, 
bringing  into  high  relief  the  creamy  marble  of 
statues  that  in  other  centuries  had  been  white. 
Against  the  deep  waxy  green  of  shrubs  and  hedges, 
the  fountains  seemed  to  be  tossing  liquid  diamonds ; 
and  beyond  the  marble  balustrades  of  the  descending 
terraces,  the  hills  rolled  away  in  soft  gray  billows 
of  young  olive  leaves  and  powdered  slopes  of  blos- 
soming orange  branches.  In  contrast  with  this 
background  of  green  and  marble  and  roses  and 
flowers  and  fountains  stood  Nina  reaching  up  to 
pick  a  pink  camellia.  In  front  of  her,  the  princess 
was  looking  vaguely  into  the  finder  of  a  camera. 

"  Now  what  shall  I  do  ?  Just  press  the  bulb  and 
let  go?" 

"  W-w-ait  a  moment  until  my  teeth  stop 
chattering ! " 

Nina  had  taken  off  her  coat  and  was  wearing  a 
dress  as  summery  in  appearance  as  the  garden. 
"  All  right,  Auntie.  This  ought  to  be  lovely — I 
hope  gooseflesh  and  a  blue  nose  won't  show." 

48 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  49 

The  picture  taken,  she  lost  no  time  in  getting 
back  into  her  long  fur  coat  again  and  wrapping  it 
tightly  around  her,  still  shivering. 

"  I  do  hope  the  pictures  will  be  good — I  am  going 
to  write  under  them  *  In  a  rose  garden  at  Christmas 
Time.'  I  shall  not  tell  that  I  never  was  so  cold  in 
my  life  as  at  this  minute.  What  I  can't  understand 
is  how  the  flowers  are  hypnotized  into  believing  it 
warm  weather.  It  is  every  bit  as  cold  as  New  York, 
yet  if  we  were  to  ask  these  same  shrubs  to  live  in  our 
gardens,  they  would  hang  their  heads  and  die  at 
the  mere  suggestion."  Nina  wanted  to  take  snap 
shots  of  the  princess,  but  the  latter  refused  to  remove 
her  coat,  and  the  incongruity  of  furs  dispelled  the 
midsummer  illusion.  Slipping  her  hand  through 
her  aunt's  arm  she  drew  her  into  a  brisk  walk. 
The  temperature  of  Italy  is  low  only  by  compari- 
son with  its  summery  appearance,  and  by  the 
time  they  reached  the  terrace  end  she  was  in 
a  glow. 

She  looked  up  at  the  irregular  stone  pile  of  the  old 
castle,  against  which  semi-tropical  vines  climbed  so 
high  as  partially  to  cover  even  the  great  square 
tower ;  and  involuntarily  she  exclaimed,  "  It  is  so 
beautiful,  so  beautiful — it  almost  hurts;  even  the 
color  of  the  sunshine — the  brilliancy,  yet  the  soft- 
ness— and  then  to  be  with  you !  "  Enthusiastically 
she  pressed  her  aunt's  arm. 

"  But  tell  me,"  she  went  on,  "  what  rooms  are 
these  along  here?  Do  I  know  them?  Let  me  see 


50  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

— mine  is  far  around  on  that  side  over  there,  isn't 
it?" 

"  That  is  your  room  in  the  corner,  the  one  by  the 
fountain  of  the  dolphins." 

Just  then  there  was  the  sound  of  tramping  on  the 
gravel  walk.  Nina  turned,  and  the  next  instant  her 
curiosity  was  aroused.  "  Who  in  the  world  were  all 
these  people?  "  As  her  aunt  paid  no  attention,  she 
repeated  her  question,  and  the  princess  casually 
glanced  in  their  direction.  It  was  probably  a  party 
of  Cook's  tourists.  Yes,  she  recognized  the  con- 
ductor. 

Nina  watched  the  party  with  increasing  interest. 
"  Look  how  funny  that  h'ttle  woman  is.  When  the 
guide  tells  her  anything,  she  follows  his  directions  as 
though  he  had  a  string  tied  to  her  nose."  Nina 
began  to  laugh,  and  the  princess  turned  to  see  two 
of  the  tourists,  who,  like  rodents,  seemed  to  be  judg- 
ing a  statue  of  Hermes  entirely  by  the  sense  of  smell. 
The  party  came  nearer,  and  the  princess  turned 
away.  But  Nina,  alert,  exclaimed,  "  The  guide  is 
pointing  you  out  to  them." 

"  Very  likely ;  one  gets  used  to  that.  Come,  let 
us  go  on ;  they  will  be  all  over  here  in  a  few  minutes." 
The  crowd  craned  after  her  as  she  went  down  the 
terrace,  followed  by  Nina. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  you  give  up  your  own  home 
like  this  to  strangers  ?  "  the  girl  asked.  "  It  must 
be  a  perfect  nuisance ! " 

"  It   is   all   a   matter   of   custom,"   the   princess 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  51 

answered.  "  Besides,  the  people  don't  annoy  us. 
They  go  usually  on  the  lower  terraces ;  at  most  they 
come  up  to  the  old  courtyard  galleries,  perhaps 
mount  the  tower  to  see  the  view,  or  go  into  the  cata- 
combs." 

At  the  bare  mention  of  catacombs  Nina  was 
greatly  excited,  and  looked  eagerly  toward  the 
tourists  who  were  going  under  the  archway  where 
the  drawbridge  once  had  been,  but  the  Princess 
showed  very  little  interest.  They  were  merely  under- 
ground passageways  that  were  probably  used  by 
slaves,  although  there  was  one  that  undoubtedly  was 
built  as  a  means  of  escape.  It  ran  many  kilometers 
and  ended  in  a  cave  in  the  forest.  "  Oh,  come ! 
Please  come !  "  Nina  fairly  dragged  her  aunt  after 
the  party  to  the  steep  dark  entrance  leading  from 
an  old  stone  dungeon  that  was  falling  in  ruins. 
The  tourists  were  descending  in  an  awed  silence  in 
which  nothing  could  be  heard  but  the  groping  shuffle 
of  cautious  feet,  broken  by  the  hollow  echo  of  the 
guide's  voice  reciting  his  sing-song  jargon  of  what 
he  supposed  to  be  English.  He  held  a  lantern  that 
revealed  a  long  alleyway  of  crumbling,  mud-colored 
stone.  Nina  tried  to  make  out  something  of  his  glib 
discourse,  but  soon  gave  it  up. 

"  What  is  he  talking  about?  "  she  whispered. 

The  princess  disentangled  the  tradition  from  the 
overburdening  names  and  dates:  those  scratches  he 
was  pointing  out  on  the  walls  were  supposed  to 
be  a  cryptic  message  from  some  refugees  in  need 


52  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

of  provisions.  It  was  not  a  very  authentic  story, 
though. 

As  the  princess  spoke  in  English,  two  tourists  de- 
tached themselves  from  the  huddled  group  around 
the  guide  and  sidled  up  to  her. 

"  Can  you  tell  me,"  asked  one,  a  wizened  small 
person  who,  in  the  flickering  light  of  the  lantern,  was 
strongly  suggestive  of  a  mouse,  "  are  there  many 
buried  here?  The  guide  has  been  explaining,  and  I 
am  stupid,  I  know,  but  for  the  life  of  me  I  can't 
understand  a  word  he  says."  Her  voice  was  a  little 
dejected,  and  altogether  apologetic. 

"  We  do  not  think  there  are  any,"  the  princess 
answered. 

The  little  tourist  blinked,  hesitated,  and  then 
asked,  confidentially,  "  Did  the  guide  say  you  were 
the  princess  of  this  castle?  We  couldn't  make  out." 

By  this  time  two  others,  inquisitive  and  gaping, 
joined  the  spokeswoman,  who,  as  the  princess  as- 
sented, exclaimed,  "  My !  " 

That  ended  the  conversation  for  the  time  being; 
and  the  party  trooped  on  in  silence.  But  after  a 
little  the  small  mousy  one's  curiosity  overcame  her 
diffidence.  "  Land,  it'd  be  queer  to  live  in  a  place 
like  this !  Do  you  come  down  here  much,  Your 
Highness  ?  " 

Nina  nearly  giggled,  but  the  princess  replied,  "  I 
have  been  down  only  once  or  twice.  There  is  no  use 
to  which  we  can  put  these  passageways  nowadays. 
There  was  a  deep  pit  that  descended  from  one  of 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  53 

the  upper  rooms  of  the  castle  through  a  trap  in  the 
floor.  The  bottom  of  it  was  far  below  here,  but  it 
is  all  done  away  with  and  cemented  over  now." 

"  You  know,  Your  Highness,"  returned  the  little 
tourist,  now  glibly  at  ease,  "  I  think  it'd  be  a  good 
place  for  growing  mushrooms." 

The  guide  interrupted  by  mounting  a  pair  of 
stairs  and  holding  up  his  lantern  with  the  order  to 
"  come  this  way."  They  all  stumbled  up  the  crum- 
bling steps  after  him  and  suddenly  found  themselves 
behind  the  altar  of  a  chapel  that  stood  at  the  far 
end  of  the  garden. 

"  For  pity's  sake ! "  cried  the  little  tourist,  her 
eyes  again  blinking — this  time  at  the  light.  "  I 
never  was  in  such  a  wonderful  place  in  all  my  life. 
My !  It  won't  seem  like  anything  at  all  to  go  down 
cellar  at  home  after  I  get  back !  Is  this  the  way  you 
go  to  meeting?  Oh,  no — you  said  you  hadn't  been 
down  often.  Maybe  this  is  the  way  to  go  when  it 
rains!  It  don't  rain  much  here,  does  it?  My,  but 
that's  an  idea — to  go  underground  to  church.  I 
wonder  how  ever  you  get  used  to  it."  And  then  ir- 
relevantly she  added,  "  All  these  beautiful  churches 
over  here  in  Yurrup,  not  a  pew  in  one  of  'em." 

"  They  bring  out  these  kneeling  chairs  for  service," 
the  princess  said,  pointing  to  a  number  against  one 
wall  of  the  chapel. 

Again  all  the  tourist  could  say  was  her  ever 
ready  "  My !  " 

"  Would  you  like  to  see  some  of  the  castle?  "  the 


54  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

princess  asked.  "  There  is  a  picture  gallery  not 
usually  opened  to  visitors,  also  some  apartments 
with  frescoes  that  are  worth  seeing."  Then  to  the 
guide,  "  You  may  take  them  into  the  west  wing." 
The  tourists  looked  variously,  according  to  their 
several  dispositions ;  the  little  one  beamed. 

"  Oh,  that's  real  kind  of  Your  Highness,"  she  ex- 
claimed, her  small  gray  person  fluttering,  more  than 
ever  like  a  mouse.  "  I  must  say  that's  real  kind.  I 
just  dote  on  pictures.  Do  you  like  crayons?  Well, 
I  like  oils  best  myself,  but  there  are  some  who  have 
a  taste  for  crayons.  The  photographer's  son — out 
where  I  live — he  is  real  talented.  He  did  some  beau- 
tiful portraits.  Folks  thought  he  ought  to  come 
over  here  right  away  and  study  art.  But  others 
thought  there  was  just  as  good  art  right  at  home. 
Now,  what'd  you  say  ?  " 

Her  good  intention  quite  won  the  princess,  and  her 
accent  warmed  her  heart  in  a  way  that  Nina  would 
have  been  at  a  loss  to  understand. 

They  had  reached  the  west  door,  and  the  Princess 
sent  a  gardener  around  to  the  main  entrance  for  the 
porter  to  bring  his  keys.  The  old  man  came  quickly 
enough,  fumbling  in  the  pocket  of  his  greatcoat, 
but  he  did  not  look  at  all  edified  at  the  whim  of  Her 
Excellency  which  allowed  a  lot  of  strangers  to  track 
mud  through  the  best  rooms  of  the  Castle.  He  pre- 
ceded the  party,  however,  with  all  signs  of  deference, 
unlocking  doors  as  they  went. 

The  little  New  Englander  was  meekly  trailing 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  55 

after  the  guide,  leaving  Nina  and  her  aunt  for  the 
moment  alone. 

"  Oh,  but  these  are  beautiful  rooms,  Aunt  Elea- 
nor !  Why  don't  you  use  them  ?  " 

"  We  do  in  summer  sometimes,  but  one  needs  a  staff 
of  servants  to  keep  them  up.  Besides  in  winter  it 
is  impossible  to  get  them  warm." 

"  Then  why,"  Nina  spoke  as  though  she  had  dis- 
covered an  obviously  simple  solution,  **  don't  you 
have  the  proper  heating  put  in?  You  won't  mind  if 
I  ask  you  something,  will  you?  " 

"  Ask  what  you  like,  dearest." 

"  Why  don't  you  make  yourself  more  comfortable? 
For  instance,  why  don't  you  have  modern  plumbing 
put  in?  And  don't  you  prefer  electric  light?  " 

The  Princess  smiled  as  though  she  had  never  felt 
the  need  of  any  of  these  things.  "  You  have  left 
the  land  of  modern  improvements  and  come  over  to 
the  land  of  romance !  "  For  a  moment  she  kept  the 
illusion,  but  the  next  she  seemed  to  change  her  mind, 
for  she  said  practically  and  with  no  veiling  of  the 
facts :  "  Quite  apart  from  the  difficulty  of  putting 
pipes  and  wires  through  these  thick  stone  walls,  even 
if  every  modern  improvement  were  already  installed, 
the  cost  would  make  it  prohibitive  to  attempt  either 
heating  or  lighting." 

Nina  gasped,  "  I  don't  understand !  You  don't 
have  to  think  of  such  a  thing  as  the  expense  of  keep- 
ing warm,  do  you?  " 

"  Indeed  we  do.     Fuel  is  a  very  serious  item." 


56  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  But,  you  have  plenty  of  money,  surely.  I 
thought  living  abroad — especially  in  Italy — was 
cheap." 

"  I  did  have  a  bigger  income  than  now — one  does 
not  get  as  good  a  rate  of  interest  as  one  used."  She 
colored  a  little  at  the  false  inference  and  dwelt  with 
more  emphasis  on  the  next  sentence. 

"  When  we  go  to  Rome  we  spend  much  more 
money;  we  have  all  the  rooms  open  there,  and  we 
have  a  great  number  of  servants — in  short  we  live 
like  princes."  She  smiled  brightly.  "  But  you  see  in 
order  to  do  that  we  have  to  live  quietly  and  save 
during  the  rest  of  the  year." 

Nina  looked  perplexed.  "  That  sounds  very 
queer,"  she  said.  "  I  should  think  you  would  even 
things  up  and  be  more  comfortable  all  the  time." 

"  Then  we  would  have  nothing.  It  would  be  ad- 
ditional expenditure  on  things  that  don't  matter,  and 
no  money  left  for  things  that  do.  Opening  these 
rooms,  for  instance,  would  not  greatly  add  to  our 
pleasure.  After  all,  we  can  only  sit  in  one  room  at 
a  time.  To  have  many  guests  and  motors  and  horses 
for  hunting,  and  to  have  big  shooting  parties — all 
that  is  an  expense  not  to  be  thought  of.  It  amuses 
us  more  to  go  to  Rome,  so  we  prefer  to  save  for  nine 
months  in  order  to  live  well  the  other  three.' 

Nina  was  trying  to  do  a  sum  in  mental  arithmetic ; 
she  could  not  quite  make  the  diminished  interest  ac- 
count for  her  aunt's  evident  lack  of  income,  but  did 
not  like  to  ask  for  more  details.  However,  something 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  57 

else  happened  that  diverted  her  attention.  They 
went  through  innumerable  rooms,  always  to  the  dis- 
tant droning  sing-song  of  the  guide's  explanations. 

Finally  they  came  to  the  picture  gallery.  It  was 
not  a  notable  collection,  with  one  or  two  exceptions ; 
and  one  of  these  exceptions  was  strikingly  absent. 
The  guide  left  the  group  and  approached  the  prin- 
cess, exclaiming,  "  Excellency !  The  Raphael !  " 

"  It  has  been  sent  to  be  repaired."  Her  hesita- 
tion was  scarcely  perceptible.  "  The  background 
was  sinking  a  little." 

The  man  quite  forgot  himself  and  in  his  excitement 
dared  a  retort — "  It  was  one  of  the  best  preserved 
Raphaels  extant."  But  the  expression  in  the  prin- 
cess' straight-gazing  eyes  held  his  further  speech  in 
check,  and  though  she  said  no  word  the  man  cringed. 

"  Pardon,  Excellency,"  he  said,  and  went  back  to 
explain  to  the  waiting  group  that  the  great  painting 
of  the  Sansevero  collection  at  that  moment  was  being 
carefully  examined,  by  experts,  as  to  its  preservation. 
Nevertheless,  there  was  a  look  in  his  face  that  caused 
Nina  to  turn  to  her  aunt  with  an  apprehension,  that 
gave  rise  to  a  vague  suspicion  that  the  princess,  who 
was  walking  slowly,  her  head  very  nigh  and  her  beau- 
tiful shoulders  well  back,  was  struggling  to  hide  some 
strong  emotion.  She  thought  later  that  she  might 
have  been  mistaken,  for  a  moment  later  her  aunt 
asked  with  her  usual  composure,  "  Have  you  a  watch 
on?  What  time  is  it?" 

Nina  consulted  the  diamond  and  enamel  trinket 


58  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

hanging  on  a  chain  around  her  neck.  "  It  is  ten 
minutes  to  one.  Is  it  lunch  time?  " 

"  Nearly.  Are  you  hungry  ?  We  are  not  having 
lunch  to-day  until  half  after.  I  have  a  surprise  for 
you." 

"  For  me?     What  is  it  to  be?  " 

"  My  young  brother-in-law,  Giovanni,  comes  home 
to-day.  I  expect  him  on  the  twelve-thirty  train. 
Your  uncle  has  gone  to  the  station  to  fetch  him — 
they  ought  to  arrive  at  any  moment." 

Nina's  face  looked  brightly  expectant.  "  Tell  me 
something  about  him !  Is  he  half  as  good-looking  as 
his  pictures  ?  " 

"  Ah?  So  she  has  been  examining  his  photo- 
graphs ! " 

"  Of  course ! "  Nina  laughed.  "  Oh,  please  tell 
ma-something  about  him!  Does  he  speak  English? 
.b  rench  ?  Or  shall  I  have  to  struggle  in  broken  Ital- 
ian ?  Is  he  like  Uncle  Sandro  ?  " 

"  Wait  until  you  see  him." 

"  At  least  tell  me  does  he  speak  English?  " 

"  He  speaks  beautiful  French." 

"  Which  means,  I  suppose,  that  he  speaks  monkey 
English!" 

But  the  princess  vouchsafed  no  reply. 

"  Well,  but  really,  I  do  think  you  might  tell  me 
something !  Is  he  attractive  ?  " 

The  Princess  assumed  a  tantalizing  air — "  That 
also  I  am  going  to  leave  you  to  find  out  when  you  see 
him.  At  all  events  he  is  young — that  is  compared  to 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  59 

your  uncle  and  me.  It  has  been  dull  for  you,  darling, 
with  no  one  your  own  age." 

Nina  interrupted  her  reproachfully.  "  Don't  you 
dare!  To  hear  you,  one  might  suppose  you  were  a 
hundred.  I  don't  care  a  bit  whether  Don  Giovanni  is 
a  Calaban  or  an  Antinous — All  the  same,"  she 
laughed,  "  had  I  better  tidy  my  hair — or  does  it  not 
matter?  " 

The  tourists  were  all  filing  out  of  the  castle  now, 
and  as  the  porter  locked  the  doors,  the  princess  shook 
hands  with  the  little  American. 

"  Thank  you,  Your  Highness,"  she  said,  "  you 
have  been  real  kind.  We — I  didn't  think,  when  I  left 
home  that  I  was  going  to  be  talking  this  way  to 
princesses.  I  never  dreamed  they  were  like  you ;  and 
you  talk  beautiful  English,  too." 

With  a  warm  impulse  the  princess  laid  he^*  left 
hand  over  the  cotton-gloved  one  in  her  right. 

"  Ah,  but  I  was  an  American  myself,"  she  said, 
"  and  it  does  me  good  to  see  a  country-woman." 

They  parted.  Again  the  guide  made  a  deep  rever- 
ence to  "  Her  Excellency,"  but  to  Nina  the  look  in 
his  eyes  seemed  both  sly  and  suspicious. 

In  the  meantime,  the  pony-cart  carrying  the  prince 
and  his  brother  was  jogging  slowly  up  the  hills  from 
the  station. 

Don  Giovanni  Sansevero — by  his  own  title  the 
Marchese  di  Valdo — was  still  on  the  hither  side  of 
thirty,  but  if  a  reputation  for  being  "  irresistible  to 
women  "  goes  for  anything,  he  must  by  this  time  have 


60  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

had  some  experience  in  their  ways.  At  all  events,  his 
appearance  so  tallied  with  hearsay  that,  whether 
founded  upon  fact  or  not,  the  reputation  remained. 

He  was  supple  and  beautifully  built,  his  bones  were 
small  and  finely  jointed,  his  features  chiseled  with 
classic  regularity — later  on  his  lips  might  grow 
coarse,  but  as  yet  they  were  merely  full.  The  chief 
characteristic  of  his  expression  was  its  mobility,  but 
it  was  the  mobility  of  an  actor  who  knows  every  emo- 
tion that  the  muscles  of  a  face  can  command.  Sanse- 
vero's  face,  also  changeable  as  an  April  day,  was  the 
spontaneous  expression  of  unconscious  mood.  Gio- 
vanni was  of  a  type  to  smile  sweetly  when  most 
angry,  or  to  assume  an  air  of  sulkiness  when  at 
heart  he  might  be  well  content.  Just  now,  with  an 
assumption  of  extreme  indifference,  he  turned  to  his 
brother. 

"  What  is  she  like,  this  heiress  of  yours  whom  you 
are  so  anxious  to  have  me  marry? "  he  asked. 
"  Plain,  stupid,  a  nonentity  ? — So  much  the  better — 
those  make  the  easy  wives  to  manage.  Give  me  a 
woman  with  little  real  success — I  mean,  one  who  has 
seen  only  the  imitation  fire  that  is  lighted  when  man 
pursues  with  reason  and  not  with  feeling.  The 
American  men  make  it  easy  for  the  rest  of  us — they 
are  what  you  call  curtain  raisers  in  the  play  of  love. 
They  keep  the  gallery  busy  until  the  entrance  of  the 
hero.  I  hope  she  is  not  a  beauty." 

"  Per  Bacco,  how  you  do  talk ! "  interrupted  the 
prince.  "  I  have  no  chance  to  answer.  Miss  Ran- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  61 

dolph  is  not  a  beauty ;  but  she  is  simpatica;  she  has 
an  air,  a  chic." 

"  So  much  the  better,  so  long  as  the  chic  is  one  of 
appearance  and  not  of  personality.  I  don't  want  my 
wife  to  be  a  siren."  Suddenly  he  laughed  and  hit  his 
brother's  knee.-  "  But  what  nonsense !  Imagine  a 
cold  American  miss  having  the  power  to  make  a  man's 
pulses  leap !  Oh,  don't  make  a  face  like  that — I  am 
not  speaking  of  my  honored  sister-in-law;  she  is  in- 
deed of  the  true  type  of  our  mother."  Mechanically 
both  men  indicated  the  sign  of  the  cross  at  the  word 
"  mother." 

"  But,"  continued  Giovanni,  "  I  am  not  exactly 
worthy  of  a  saint — it  would  not  suit  my  disposition. 
It  is  bad  enough  associating  always  with  good 
Brother  Antonio  as  it  is.  By  the  way,  where  is  he?  " 

He  gave  a  shrill  whistle  and  looked  back  down  the 
road  for  the  gray  figure  of  his  inseparable  friend  and 
companion :  not  a  monk  as  the  name  indicated,  but  a 
Great  Dane.  A  distant  cloud  of  dust  proclaimed 
that  the  whistle  had  been  heard.  "  Poor  Sant  An- 
tonio ! "  he  called  as  soon  as  the  dog  had  caught  up, 
"  Where  have  you  been  ?  I  suppose  you  were  medi- 
tating along  life's  highway.  No,"  he  continued,  "  it 
were  best  I  did  not  pretend  to  be  better  than  I  am ; 
my  good  monk  would  not  absolve  me  else.  Still,  do 
you  know,  sometimes  I  seriously  doubt  even  Brother 
Antonio's  morals !  "  He  shrugged  his  shoulders  and 
laughed  in  great  delight.  Sansevero  seemed  un- 
decided whether  to  be  shocked  or  amused ;  ordinarily 


62  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

he  would  have  laughed  easily  enough,  but  Giovanni 
in  some  way  had  seemed  to  involve  Eleanor  in  his 
levity. 

"  Well,"  continued  Giovanni,  "  I  suppose  at  least 
Miss  America,  not  being  a  Catholic,  will  make  no  ob- 
jections to  Sant  Antonio's  short-comings !  " 

At  this  Sansevero  bristled,  "  Giovanni,  I  will  ask 
you  not  to  air  your  irreligious  remarks  about  that 
dog  with  an  unseemly  name,  in  connection  with  the 
family  of  my  wife." 

For  answer  Giovanni  blew  a  whistle  into  the  air. 

Sansevero  grew  sulky.  "  I  warn  you !  Don't  let 
Leonore  hear  you  make  remarks  that  she  might  think 
slighting  about  her  darling  1  She  is  like  her  own 
child  to  her !  " 

For  a  few  moments  both  men  were  silent.  Giovan- 
ni's face  was  no  longer  mocking ;  he  was  watching  the 
beautiful  lope  of  his  huge  dog.  Sansevero  looked 
straight  ahead,  quite  pensively  for  him.  "  Poor 
Leonore,"  he  said  at  last.  "  It  is  often  such  as  she 
who  have  no  children !  "  Unconsciously  he  sighed. 

Giovanni  smiled,  "  I  don't  see  what  she  wants  of 
another  child  than  you !  " 

"  And  you  will  inherit " 

"  Please !  I  am  not  quite  so  bad  as  that.  Believe 
me,  I  should  rejoice  for  you  if  you  had  children. 
Leonore  would  have  made  a  wonderful  mother.  Even 
I  might  be  respectable  if  a  woman  such  as  she  loved 
me  as  she  loves  you.  But,"  he  grew  flippant  again, 
**  to  marry  one  of  those  nose-in-the-air,  soulless, 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  63 

school-teacher  prudes — Never!  And  in  any  event, 
my  dear,  I  am  not  so  sure  I  want  to  marry  your 
heiress.  I  am  very  well  as  I  am !  "  He  shrugged  his 
shoulders.  A  moment  later,  though,  he  put  a  ques- 
tion. "  What  is  her  first  name  ? — I  have  forgotten." 

"  Nina." 

"  Nina !  Really  a  charming  name,  that !  One 
that  can  be  said  without  breaking  consonants  against 
the  teeth.  There  was  a  girl  once,  very  pretty,  but 
she  was  called — I  can  never  pronounce  it — E-d-i-t-h 
— those  are  the  letters.  But  Ni-na !  It  has  a  deli- 
cious sound."  He  let  it  slip  over  his  tongue.  Then 
he  put  his  head  on  one  side  and  asked  quizzically, 
"  How  much  has  she  ?  " 

Sansevero  looked  up  quickly;  he  hesitated  a 
moment,  then  answered  stiffly :  "  She  has  a  great  for- 
tune, but  she  is  also  my  niece." 

Giovanni  raised  his  eyebrows,  and  then  burst  into 
shouts  of  laughter. 

"  What  has  come  over  you  ?  It  was  you  who  sug- 
gested the  match!  You  know  as  well  as  I  that  my 
debts  don't  disturb  me  in  the  least.  It  is  quite  easy 
always  to— borrow,  if  one  must  pay." 


CHAPTER    VI 

LOVE,    AND   A    GARDEN 

DON  GIOVANNI  arrived  on  Tuesday,  and 
Saturday  found  him  out  on  the  terrace  lean- 
ing over  the  balustrade  beside  Nina.  His  ex- 
pression was  unusually  animated,  for  he  was  making 
the  most  of  his  first  chance  to  talk  to  her  without 
the  presence  of  a  third  person.  Not  that  they  were 
alone — the  Princess  Sansevero  was  too  much  of  an 
Italian  to  leave  a  young  girl  for  a  moment  unchap- 
eroned.  But  she  was  walking  about  with  the  head 
gardener,  discussing  the  possibilities  of  saving  a 
grove  of  cypress  trees  that  showed  signs  of  dying; 
and  though  she  kept  the  young  people  well  in  sight, 
she  could  not  overhear  their  conversation.  Giovan- 
ni's big  dog,  St.  Anthony,  was  lying  outstretched  in 
the  sunshine. 

In  the  full  light,  Nina  had  ample  opportunity  for 
observing  that   her  companion  was  quite  as   good- 
looking  in  detail  as  in  general  effect ;  and  the  rhyth- 
mic inflection  of  his  voice — he  spoke  in  French — she 
thought  truly  attuned  to  his  surroundings.     He  was 
one  of  those  who,  like  Italy  itself,  give  to  strangers 
only  the  suggestion  of  their  meaning,  and  he  inter- 
ested Nina  chiefly  as  a  new  unsolved  problem. 
Gradually  the  habitual  sleepy  expression  had  re- 
64 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  65 

turned  to  his  eyes,  and  his  voice  grew  dreamy.  "  We 
of  Italy,"  he  was  saying,  "  live,  endure,  die,  if  need 
be — always  for  the  same  reason — woman  and  love! 
Your  men  in  America  " — his  teeth  glittered  as  he 
smiled — "  tell  me,  Mademoiselle,  do  you  believe  they 
know  what  it  is  to  love?  Do  they  hide  it,  perhaps, 
from  us  Europeans  ?  " 

"  I  should  think,"  answered  Nina  sagely,  "  that 
love  means  more  to  our  men  than  to  you."  (A  re- 
mark that  John  Derby  had  made  came  into  her  mind 
as  she  spoke :  "  You  will  find  your  own  countrymen 
go  in  for  the  real  thing,  where  the  foreigner  spends 
all  his  time  talking  about  it.") 

Don  Giovanni  was  too  thoroughly  a  European  to 
become  argumentative.  "  You  see,  I  speak  only 
from  hearsay,"  he  continued,  with  that  air  of  agree- 
ing with  her  which  only  the  Latin  possesses.  "  I 
have  always  been  led  to  suppose  that  love  plays  a 
very  small  part  in  the  lives  of  your  countrymen." 
He  held  the  thread  of  the  conversation,  but  his  man- 
ner said  plainly  that  he  only  waited  humbly  to  be 
enlightened.  "  I  should  have  said,"  he  went  on,  "  an 
illustration  of  love  in  my  country  as  contrasted  with 
yours  is  shown  in  the  gardens — just  as  our  gardens 
bloom  all  the  year,  so  love  blooms  always  in  our 
hearts;  flowers  and  love,  they  go  together;  nowhere 
in  the  world  are  they  so  perfect  as  in  Italy." 

"  So  cultivated?  "  asked  Nina. 

He  took  no  notice  of  the  quip.  "  If  to  cultivate 
is  to  think  of  and  to  nurture,  to  strive  always 


66  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

for  greater  perfection,  then,  yes,  let  us  say  culti- 
vated." 

There  was  a  challenge;  there  was  also  a  look  of 
pity  that  annoyed  her.  It  was  this  that  she  re- 
sented. She  felt  that  she  was  being  enmeshed  in  an 
invisible  web,  and  she  sought  for  a  means  of  escape. 
Seeing  none  she  might  be  sure  of,  she  dropped  the 
figurative  speech  and  took  refuge  in  platitudes. 

"  In  America  we  admire  a  man  for  what  he  does 
— over  here  you  do  nothing.  Each  day  for  you  is 
the  same.  You  spend  your  time  as  a  woman  might, 
unless  you  go  into  the  army,  the  church,  or  diplo- 
macy. For  instance,  you,  yourself,  what  is  your 
ambition?  Is  there  anything  you  are  trying  to 
do?  " 

Indolently  he  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  with  a 
half -lazy  arrogance  he  answered,  "  Why  should  I  try 
to  create  a  personal  and  trivial  future,  when  I  can, 
without  striving,  merely  survive  from  a  far  more 
glorious  past?  Listen,  Mademoiselle,  do  you  think 
as  much  can  be  accomplished  by  one  short  genera- 
tion as  by  many?  For  instance,  could  a  garden 
such  as  this  be  produced  in  the  lifetime  of  one  man  ?  " 
He  waved  his  arm  in  a  circular  motion.  "  It  is  not 
alone  its  plan  and  its  fountains,  and  its  green  shrub- 
bery that  make  it  what  it  is,  but  the  history  of  hu- 
man lives  that  is  planted  in  its  every  turn  and  corner. 
The  gardens  of  America  are  but  newly  born  from 
the  minds  of  your  landscape  architects ;  in  most  of 
them  the  trees  are  but  newly  planted.  This  garden 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  67 

was  already  stately  with  ilex  and  cypress  when  the 
first  white  men  of  North  America  were  sowing  a  little 
corn.  How  can  you  feel  romance  in  a  garden  where 
there  is  no  tradition  save  of  the  hours  a  few  laborers 
have  spent  in  digging?  " 

Suddenly  a  look  of  real  ardor  came  into  his  face, 
an  animation  into  his  expression  that  gave  a  new 
charm  to  his  words.  "  On  this  terrace  where  we  now 
stand,  leaning  upon  the  marble  of  this  very  railing, 
countless  men  who  were  heroes,  poets,  philosophers, 
and  fair  women  who  were  their  sweethearts,  have 
looked,  as  we  do,  over  the  hills  laden  with  blossoming 
trees.  Up  that  path  yonder  to  the  monastery  have 
gone  pilgrims,  sinners,  martyrs,  and  many  lovers  to 
have  their  vows  blessed,  or  to  find  a  haven  for  broken 
hearts.  In  the  allee  of  cypress  trees  have  walked 
many  of  the  great  lovers  of  Italy's  romance.  From 
this  terrace  end  Beatrice  herself  is  said  to  have 
thrown  a  rose  of  that  very  bush's  parent  stem  to 
her  immortal  lover.  Every  corner  of  the  garden 
holds  its  story  of  meetings  that  made  of  it  a  para- 
dise, of  partings  that  made  of  it  an  inferno.  What 
is  paradise,  but  love?  Inferno,  but  the  sorrow  of 
love  ?  Down  before  us,  and  even  up  here  on  this  ter- 
race, scenes  have  been  enacted  in  feud  and  in  peace, 
horrible  scenes  of  bloodshed  and  cruelty,  and  again 
scenes  of  splendor — gatherings  of  church,  ceremon- 
ials of  state,  but  chiefly  scenes  of  love — some  beauti- 
ful and  happy,  others  no  less  beautiful  because  they 
were  tragic.  Shall  I  tell  you  some  of  the  stories?  " 


68  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Nina  nodded  an  eager  assent;  Giovanni's  manner 
held  her  completely. 

"  Almost  where  you  are  standing,  Cecilia  Sanse- 
vero  was  stabbed  by  Guido  Corlone  before  he  killed 
himself,  so  that  they  might  be  together  in  the  next 
world.  Out  of  that  window,  the  third  from  the  end, 
another  daughter  of  our  house  descended  by  a  silk 
ladder.  They — she  and  her  lover — took  the  path 
directly  below  here;  the  guards  saw  them.  This 
happened  just  beside  the  statue  yonder.  He  drew 
his  sword  and  stood  before  her,  but  the  guards  were 
too  many,  and  he  was  killed.  She  had  poison  in  a 
locket  that  she  wore,  and  almost  before  they  could 
drag  her  arms  from  about  her  lover's  neck,  she  also 
was  dead." 

"  Horrible ! "  cried  Nina.  Her  face,  mobile  as 
Giovanni's  own,  had  unconsciously  reflected,  in 
changing  expressions,  the  progress  of  his  narrative. 
"  To  think  that  in  such  a  place  as  this  such  things 
really  happened."  She  shuddered,  then  added, 
"But,  Don  Giovanni,  are  there  no  pleasant  stories? 
Please  think  of  some." 

"  Oh,  any  number.  Once  there  was  a  small  house 
in  the  valley — a  lodge  it  would  be  called  now.  A 
very  pretty  girl  lived  there.  This  time  it  was  the 
son  of  our  house,  a  young,  hot-headed  fellow  h'ke  all 
of  us."  Giovanni  let  just  enough  fire  gleam  in  his 
eyes  to  give  Nina  a  glimpse  of  another  phase  of  him. 
"  Well,  this  son — whose  name  was  the  same  as  mine, 
Giovanni,  a  Prince  Sansevero — he  was  mad  about 


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this  girl.  He  would  marry  her  or  he  would  take  his 
life.  She  was  the  star  of  his  destiny,  the  crown  of 
his  life,  and  all  the  rest  of  it.  They  were  going  to 
send  her  away — she  was  to  go  into  a  cloister ;  he  was 
locked  up  in  the  castle.  But  the  old  custodian,  who 
adored  the  boy,  let  him  escape  by  the  underground 
passage.  He  came  out  in  the  church.  She  had 
gone  there  to  pray,  knowing  nothing  of  the  under- 
ground way — it  was  kept  a  profound  secret  in  those 
days.  As  the  girl  knelt,  Giovanni  appeared  sud- 
denly beside  the  altar.  Her  duenna  thought  him  an 
apparition,  and  the  two  fled  up  to  the  monastery — 
that  one  you  see  from  here." 

"  And  then ?  "  said  Nina  breathlessly. 

"  The  Father  Abbot  relented  and  married  them." 
Nina  tried  to  discern  the  path  to  the  monastery; 
in  her  imagination  she  saw  them  hurrying  along  on 
the  night  of  their  escape. 

"  And  then  ?     In  the  end  what  became  of  them  ?  " 
"  She  bore  him  fifteen  children ;  thirteen  of  them 
were  girls." 

Giovanni's  manner  was  so  casual  as  he  said  this 
that  Nina  laughed  long  and  deliciously.  He  swung 
himself  lightly  over  the  balustrade  and  gathered  her 
a  long-stemmed  rose  from  the  bush  whose  early 
branches  were  supposed  to  have  known  the  touch  of 
Beatrice.  Perhaps  the  legend  was  untrue,  but  his 
action,  like  the  afternoon,  held  much  that  was  allur- 
ing. Something  of  this  allure  lay  in  Giovanni's 
having  the  same  name  as  the  people  he  told  about. 


70  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Something,  too,  in  the  carelessness,  and  yet  the 
pride,  of  his  telling,  made  his  tales  enchanting,  and 
seemed  in  some  way  to  include  his  own  personality  in 
the  chain  of  romance  as  its  final  link.  The  garden 
was  spread  before  her.  The  underground  passage 
she  knew,  and  it  wound  directly  beneath  her  feet. 
The  chapel,  the  statue,  the  ruins  of  the  little 
temple,  the  monastery  encircling  like  a  low 
crown  the  summit  of  the  distant  mountain,  all 
were  before  her;  and  beside  her  was  a  son 
of  the  same  race,  of  the  same  blood.  She  won- 
dered vaguely  why  it  was  so  much  more  apparent  in 
Don  Giovanni  than  in  her  uncle  the  prince.  Prince 
Sansevero  seemed  quite  modern ;  the  Marchese  di 
Valdo,  though  more  modern  actually  than  his 
brother,  still  seemed  to  keep  his  touch  on  the  age 
that  was  past. 

"  Do  these  old  legends  please  you,  Mademoiselle? 
Or  are  you  too  restless?  Too  progressive?  Ameri- 
cans, like  the  horse  Pegasus,  leap  into  the  air  with- 
out any  need  of  foundation  to  stand  on.  We,  over 
here,  build,  like  the  coral  reefs,  slowly  perhaps,  but 
always  from  the  foundation  up." 

"  I  think,"  said  Nina  slowly ;  "  it  is  the  mystery  of 
the  past  that  makes  it  so  wonderful.  We  never  can 
know  quite  enough  about  it.  All  legends  are  like 
pictures  seen  through  a  fog;  it  lifts  and  shows  a 
glimpse,  then  as  quickly  closes  in  again.  I  always 
want  to  know  what  happened  next." 

As  she  said  this,  she  realized  that  she  was  more 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  711 

or  less  making  an  allegorical  description  of  Giovanni 
himself.  He  was  like  his  country  and  its  traditions, 
revealing  himself  only  in  glimpses.  He  attracted 
her  immensely  through  his  subtle  impersonality  un- 
derlying all  that  was  seemingly  personal.  She  could 
not  fathom  his  depth,  nor  determine  his  shallowness 
— she  did  not  even  guess  which  it  might  be.  She 
was  irresistibly  drawn  to  him;  yet  she  was  on  her 
guard,  as  one  who,  looking  down  from  a  great 
height,  in  fear  of  vertigo  clings  to  the  parapet 
over  which  he  leans.  The  parapet  she  clung  to  was 
her  own  good  American  common  sense.  Yet  she 
feared  she  did  not  know  what.  A  little  gleam  in 
Giovanni's  dark  eyes,  a  curious,  deliberate,  inten- 
tionally produced  expression  of  his  smiling  lips, 
swept  over  her  sensibilities  with  a  feeling  that  was 
as  terrifying  as  it  was  delicious — and  both  per- 
haps because  it  was  strange. 

A  little  look — like  triumph — flickered  in  his  face; 
he  laughed  joyously.  "  Mademoiselle,  you  are — 
adorable !  "  he  said. 


CHAPTER    VII 

EOMK 

HRISTMAS  and  New  Year's  passed,  and  the 
Sansevero  household  moved  to  Rome.  The 
princess  was  impatient  to  have  Nina  meet 
people,  but  from  the  first  glimpse  of  the  domed 
City  its  immortal  charm  claimed  the  American  girl, 
and  for  a  little  while  she  had  neither  time  nor  in- 
clination for  anything  but  sight-seeing.  She  fairly 
hungered  for  history  and  tradition,  and  she  soon 
made  the  discovery  that  if  Don  Giovanni  did  noth- 
ing, he  at  least  knew  a  great  deal. 

She  marveled  at  his  memory.  He  seemed  to  have 
every  name  and  date  in  the  history  of  Rome  and 
Italian  art  at  the  tip  of  his  tongue.  One  after- 
noon they  were  going  through  the  apartments  of  the 
Borgias ;  the  princess,  tired  out  with  sight-seeing, 
was  sitting  at  the  edge  of  the  room,  and  Giovanni 
was  following  Nina  and  pointing  out  the  story  illus- 
trated in  the  frescoes. 

"  I  have  found  at  least  one  thing  you  could  do !  " 
she  laughed.  "  You'd  make  a  wonderful  guide  for 
Cook's." 

But  he  was  not  at  all  amused  by  this  sally;  in 
fact,  he  let  her  see  that  he  was  annoyed.  This 
same  sort  of  unexpected  response  had  baffled  her 

72 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  73 

several  times  before.  Any  American  youth  would 
have  fallen  into  the  manner  of  a  guide  at  once. 
She  remembered  that  John  Derby  on  one  occasion, 
at  a  County  fair,  had  insisted  upon  climbing  on 
the  stand  of  a  barker  and  was  the  success  of  the 
show.  On  the  other  hand,  this  Italian  prince  ap- 
preciated things  which  John  Derby  would  have 
brushed  aside.  He  was  a  delightful  companion,  the 
most  delightful  she  had  ever  known,  but  every  now 
and  then  he  became  suddenly  and  inexplicably  of- 
fended— and  always  over  some  stupid  trifle,  like 
this  suggestion  of  hers  about  Cook's. 

"  I  only  meant,"  she  ventured  appeasingly, 
"  that  you  hold  all  of  Rome's  history  in  the  palm 
of  your  hand.  Is  there  anything  that  you  don't 
know?" 

His  gesture  was  expressive.  He  raised  his  eye- 
brows and  opened  both  hands  palms  upward.  "  I 
am  Roman — since  a  thousand  years." 

Nina  changed  the  subject.  "  I  wish,"  she  said, 
"  that  they  had  wheeling  chairs  with  head  rests. 
I  have  a  crick  in  my  neck  and  my  eyes  are  going 
crossed  from  looking  so  much  at  ceilings." 

Giovanni's  ill  temper  had  been  for  a  moment 
only.  He  smiled  now  and  whimsically  suggested 
that  they  write  to  the  director  of  the  Vatican  ask- 
ing that  litters  be  provided.  Why  not?  He  grew 
quite  enthusiastic  over  his  description  of  how  charm- 
ing she  would  look  between  tall  negro  bearers,  with 
a  little  black  boy  trotting  beside  her,  carrying  a 


74  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

long  fan — no,  in  place  of  the  fan  he  should  carry 
a  little  stove. 

"  My  idea  was  not  half  so  picturesque,"  she 
laughed  in  answer.  "  I  think  I  had  a  dentist's 
chair  in  mind — a  red  fuzzy  plush  one  on  wheels." 

"  And  with  me  to  push  it?  "  He  said  it  eagerly 
enough.  Here  was  a  contradiction  of  his  late  ir- 
ritation !  She  did  not  dare,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  to 
answer ;  his  melodies  and  his  discords  were  too  easily 
transposed. 

She  turned  her  attention  to  the  fresco  before 
her;  it  was  one  with  the  portrait  of  the  kneeling 
Borgia. 

"  He  looks  like  a  burglar ! "  she  exclaimed  with 
a  shudder.  Then  she  hesitated,  but  Giovanni's 
mood  being  too  uncertain  to  take  into  consideration 
she  finished  her  sentence,  "  Do  you  know  who  he 
looks  like — ?  The  Duke  Scorpa." 

Again  he  was  angry.  "  Please,  Miss  Randolph, 
do  not  say  anything  of  that  sort." 

"But  why  shouldn't  I?"  She  colored  under  his 
reproof,  but  held  to  her  point. 

"  Because  you  are  of  the  household  of  the  San- 
severo.  A  little  remark — even  so  little  as  a  tenth 
of  that,  might  be  imprudent.  Rome  is  to-day  al- 
most what  it  was.  There  still  is  a  very  frail  bridge 
uniting  the  Scorpas  and  the  Sanseveros;  the  ra- 
vine is  always  there;  a  torrent  from  the  glacier 
may  descend  at  any  time." 

"  Then  I  shall  say  it  in  a  whisper !     He  looks 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  75 

like  a  burglar,  and  like  a  cut-throat  and — like 
Scorpa !  " 

Giovanni  scowled.  "  I  warn  you,  Mademoiselle, 
be  prudent ! "  A  note  of  tension  in  his  voice 
brought  Nina  to  a  sudden  halt. 

"  There  is  no  one  here  but  Aunt  Eleanor — I 
doubt  if  even  she  can  hear." 

"  In  Rome  it  would  not  be  the  first  time  if  walls 
had  ears." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  she  said  so  simply,  so  candidly,  that 
Giovanni  was  charmed.  He  became  light  and  amus- 
ing. He  elaborated  the  legends  of  the  frescoes 
with  the  lives  of  the  painters'  until  she  felt  as 
though  they  were  yet  living.  Finally  they  reached 
the  side  of  the  room  where  the  princess  was  wait- 
ing. There  was  no  impatience  in  her  voice,  but 
she  looked  tired,  and  Nina  cried  penitently: 

"  Ah,  Aunt  Eleanor !  Why  did  you  not  call  me 
sooner?  I  get  so  carried  away  by  all  the  things 
I  see,  and  the  tales  Don  Giovanni  tells  me,  that  I 
have  no  sense  of  time." 

They  descended  the  stairs  to  the  inner  court  of 
the  Vatican,  where  they  found  their  carriage,  an 
old-fashioned  C-spring  landeau,  all  very  dignified 
and  perfectly  appointed,  and  in  striking  contrast 
to  the  pony-cart  in  which  the  princess  was  trundled 
about  at  Torre  Sansevero. 

By  the  time  they  crossed  the  Ponte  S.  Angelo 
the  color  had  come  back  a  little  into  the  princess's 
face.  Nina,  with  no  sign  of  fatigue,  sat  brightly 


76  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

alert,  while  Giovanni  opposite,  prattled  ceaselessly, 
except  for  the  interruption  necessitated  by  his  con- 
stantly taking  off  his  hat  as  his  sister-in-law  bowed 
to  passing  acquaintances. 

They  had  not  far  to  go  along  the  Corso  Vit- 
torio  Emanuele  before  they  came  to  the  dingy  pile 
of  yellow  stone  that  for  centuries  had  borne  the 
name  of  Palazzo  Sansevero.  The  landeau  turned 
under  one  of  its  three  broad  archways,  and  en- 
tered the  courtyard.  A  plain  stone  stairway,  worn 
and  dingy  like  the  rest  of  the  fa9ade,  led  into  a 
vestibule  of  unpromising  darkness.  The  portiere, 
however,  was  very  gorgeous  and  imposing  in  his 
knee  breeches,  white  silk  stockings,  gold-trimmed 
coat,  and  his  three-cornered  hat  with  the  prince's 
cockade  at  the  side.  He  moved  majestically  down 
the  steps,  carrying  a  silver-headed  mace,  like  a 
drum-major's,  and  saluted  as  the  "nobilities"  en- 
tered the  palace.  They  ascended  to  a  vast  stone 
hall  with  a  grand  stairway  at  its  further  end,  that 
quickly  effaced  the  impression  of  the  entrance. 
From  an  antechamber,  they  passed  through  five 
or  six  rooms  hung  with  tapestries  and  paintings, 
and  adorned  with  sculptures,  until  they  arrived  at 
the  one  where  the  princess  really  lived.  This  last 
was  a  huge,  dignified,  mellow,  and  splendid  apart- 
ment, in  every  way  worthy  of  the  palace  in  which 
it  stood,  and  of  the  great  lady  who  occupied  it 
now,  no  less  than  of  all  the  great  ladies  who  had 
occupied  it  in  the  past.  In  its  present  furnishings 


THE    TITLE    MARKET.  77 

there  were  deep  sofas  with  light  and  table  arrange- 
ment, so  that  one  might  lounge  and  read  and  at 
the  same  time  be  near  the  great  open  fire.  Many 
bibelots  of  silver  and  porcelain  made  a  contrast  to 
the  other  rooms,  that  were  more  like  museum  gal- 
leries; and  everywhere — here  as  in  the  country — 
were  flowers  and  the  army  of  autographed  photo- 
graphs marching  across  tables  and  banked  high 
against  the  walls. 

As  soon  as  the  family  had  entered,  the  tea-tray 
was  brought  in  and  placed  near  the  fire.  Follow- 
ing the  Roman  custom,  according  to  which  the 
daughter  of  the  house  pours  the  tea,  the  princess 
motioned  Nina  to  fill  the  office,  and  she  herself  sat 
at  her  desk  and  began  rapidly  writing  on  a  pad  of 
paper.  Giovanni  carried  tea  and  muffins  to  her, 
while  Nina  poured  out  her  own  cup  and  helped  her- 
self to  a  third  cake. 

"  Are  these  really  so  good  ?  "  she  asked  half  wist- 
fully. "  Or  are  even  these  little  cakes  seemingly 
delicious  only  because  they  are  in  Rome?  I  am 
sure  the  cook  at  home  made  plenty  that  were  every 
bit  as  good ! "  She  said  this  last  as  though  to 
convince  herself. 

"  They  are  wonderful  little  cakes — they  are  very 
celebrated ! "  Giovanni  said  it  with  an  aggrieved 
air  that  made  Nina  laugh.  As  though  wilfully  mis- 
understanding her,  he  turned  to  his  sister-in-law. 

"  Such  curious  ideas  Miss  Randolph  has  about 
Rome!  One  would  suppose,  to  hear  her,  that  it 


78  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

was  a  land  of  witchcraft — even  our  food  is  to  be 
taken  with  suspicion." 

"  Not  at  all,"  retorted  Nina,  with  a  turn  of  man- 
ner that  would  have  done  credit  to  an  Italian,  "  a 
land  of  enchantment,  which  makes  ordinary  cakes 
— very  ordinary  little  cakes,  I  tell  you! — seem 
small  squares  and  rounds  of  ambrosia.  And,  fur- 
thermore— I  can  assure  you  it  is  much  more  com- 
fortable here  than  in  the  country." 

If  Giovanni  thought  she  was  going  to  stay  senti- 
mental very  long,  he  did  not  know  the  American 
temperament.  For  she  now  went  into  a  long  disser- 
tation upon  the  discomfort  of  Torre  Sansevero, 
where  she  nearly  froze  to  death.  Candle  light  she 
had  not  minded,  though  she  much  preferred  elec- 
tricity. 

"  Have  you  entirely  obliterated  the  gardens  from 
your  memory,  Mademoiselle? "  Giovanni  asked  in 
an  undertone,  and  with  a  romantic  inflection.  But 
Nina's  mood  was  not,  at  that  moment,  attuned  to 
gardens. 

"Ah,  I  love  Rome — just  Rome  itself!  There  is 
no  other  such  place  in  all  the  world!  I  thought 
I  loved  Paris.  Paris  is  gay  and  beautiful.  But 
Rome  is  glorious — splendid !  " 

Giovanni's  chagrin  at  her  apparent  indifference 
to  the  gardens  was  changed  to  enthusiasm  at  her 
appreciation  of  his  beloved  city,  for  to  have  her 
love  Rome  was  like  having  her  love  the  greater  por- 
tion of  himself — who  was  but  part  of  Rome. 


THE    TITLE   MARKET  79 

"  The  only  detriment  is,"  continued  Nina,  "  that 
at  night  I  dream  of  marble  statues  parading  against 
backgrounds  of  cobalt  blue  under  groined  arches 
of  gold — like  the  ceilings  in  the  rooms  of  the 
Borgias  and — this  one!  Why  this  is  exactly  like 
them!  There  is  the  same  face  as  the  St.  Cather- 
ine  "  then  suddenly  she  sat  up,  leaning  eagerly 

forward — "  Auntie  Princess,  I  don't  want  to  have 
a  party  at  all!  I  don't  want  to  meet  people!  I 
like  to  think  of  Rome  as  inhabited  with  those  of 
long  ago."  Then  with  one  of  her  sudden  checks 
upon  a  tendency  to  become  over  sentimental,  she 
added  gaily,  "  The  little  cakes  of  to-day,  are  good 
at  all  events !  Give  me  another,  please !  " 

Giovanni  slid  out  of  the  corner  of  the  sofa  like 
smooth  steel  springs  unfolding;  neither  hastily,  nor 
with  effort.  She  watched  him;  fascinated  by  his 
grace  and  litheness.  Suddenly,  though,  she  felt  un- 
comfortably certain  that  he  knew  what  was  pass- 
ing in  her  mind,  and  this  conviction  immediately 
put  her  out  of  humor.  For  the  space  of  a  few 
minutes  she  disliked  him.  He  seemed  to  know  that 
too,  for  his  next  sentence  was: 

"  Are  all  young  girls  in  America  so  unreasonably 
capricious,  so  whimsically  balanced  mentally  as — 
a  young  girl  I  once  met  ?  " 

"How  was  she?"  Nina's  curiosity  was  aroused 
in  spite  of  her. 

"  Very  inexperienced,  and  therefore  uncertain. 
Like  the  person  who  in  dancing  counts  one,  two,  three 


80  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

— one,  two,  three,  for  fear  of  losing  time — or  like 
the  inexperienced  swimmer  who  measures  constantly 
the  distance  to  shore." 

"  Children,  you  are  chattering  nonsense,"  the 
princess  interfered.  "  Here,  you  lazy  ones,  help 
me  to  write  the  invitations ! " 

Nina  arose  and  went  to  look  over  her  aunt's 
shoulder.  "  Oh,  but  it  is  for  day  after  to-mor- 
row ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say  that 
any  one  will  come  at  such  short  notice?"  That 
the  invitations  were  merely  visiting  cards  with  "  In- 
formal Dance "  written  in  the  corner,  and  a  date 
not  forty-eight  hours  ahead,  astonished  her.  She 
asked  about  the  details.  How  could  they  arrange 
for  the  decorations,  favors,  supper?  But  the  prin- 
cess smiled  complacently.  Candles  were  all  the 
decoration  necessary !  the  favors  would  be  trifles 
that  could  be  bought  in  half  an  hour;  and  as  for 
supper — what  could  young  people  want  more  than 
lemonade  or  tea,  sandwiches,  and  cakes?  The  only 
question  was  where  they  should  dance. 

The  princess  turned  to  Giovanni.  "  I  think  it 
is  best  in  the  picture  gallery,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  The  floor  is  not  so  smooth  as  in  the  Room  of 
the  Aenead,  but  come,  let  us  go  and  decide."  He 
led  the  way,  and  they  followed.  The  Room  of  the 
Aenead  was  next  that  in  which  they  were  sitting. 
The  portrait  gallery,  filled  with  treasures  from  the 
days  of  Italy's  grandeur,  was  still  beyond.  It  was 
this  apartment  of  all  others  that  most  appealed  to 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  81 

Nina.  For  a  moment  she  forgot  why  they  had 
come  into  the  gallery,  and  her  attention  remained 
fixed  upon  the  canvases.  With  the  ever-vigilant 
Giovanni  at  her  side,  she  seemed  to  be  walking  in  a 
day  that  was  past,  to  be  enveloped  in  a  fairy  man- 
tle! She  put  her  hand  on  a  group  said  to  be  the 
work  of  Michelangelo,  running  her  fingers  over  the 
face  of  one  of  the  figures  with  awe  in  her  touch. 

"  To  think,"  she  said  very  softly,  the  wonder 
breaking  through  the  low  tone  of  her  voice,  "  to 
think  that  Michelangelo's  own  living  hand  has  been 
where  mine  is  now — still  more,  he  has  been  in  this 
very  room!  Not  alone  he,  but  Raphael,  Correggio, 
and  Pinturicchio !  And  all  this  is  called  home  by 
my  own  aunt.  Mine!  "  A  little  quiver  had  come 
into  her  throat.  "  It  is  too  wonderful !  Yet  it 
gives  me  the  strangest  sensation — I  can't  exactly  ex- 
plain it,  but  it  is  as  though  I  were  not  born  at  all. 
Do  you  know,"  she  had  turned  to  Giovanni  wist- 
fully, "  I  think  I  can  understand  just  a  little  of 
the  way  you  feel — if  is  as  though  you  were  securely 
planted  like  a  tree.  In  the  beginning,  long  ago, 
you  were  put  into  the  earth  with  the  first  things 
sown.  I  am  merely  a  leaf,  blown  from  what  branch 
I  do  not  even  know — belonging  nowhere,  coming 
from  nothing.  I  think  I  see  for  the  first  time  what 
you  mean,  over  here,  but  just  being  and  not  caring 
to  do  more  than  survive  from  the  gloriousness  of 
all  this."  She  spread  her  arms  out  as  though 
bewildered. 


82  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  Now  you  see,"  Giovanni  answered  her,  as 
though  there  were  a  new  and  strong  bond  of  sym- 
pathy between  them,  "  why  decorations  are  unneces- 
sary. Can  you  imagine  these  walls,  which  for  cen- 
turies have  looked  down  upon  every  great  person- 
age of  Rome,  being  decked  up  like  a  Christmas  tree 
because  a  number  of  people  whose  achievements  are 
in  no  way  illustrious  are  coming  for  an  hour  or 
two?  " 

"I  think,"  said  Nina,  "that  I  shall  dance  like 
a  wraith.  It  seems  almost  a  sacrilege  to  bob 
around  and  prattle  in  such  surroundings.  How 
silly  their  sainted  ghosts  might  think  us ! " 

"  I  never  thought  of  the  old  masters  as  saints 
exactly.  But  come,  Mademoiselle — let  us  pretend 
• — in  each  of  those  chandeliers  are  burning  a  hun- 
dred wax  candles.  It  is  the  night  of  the  ball — we 
open  it  so — will  you  dance  ?  " 

Again  there  appeared  a  Giovanni  that  she  had 
never  seen  before,  his  lazy  arrogance  vanished,  as, 
whisking  a  handkerchief  out  of  his  pocket  to  wave 
in  his  hand,  he  became  a  sprite — a  dancing  faun,  a 
reincarnation  of  the  spirit  of  Donatello. 

Twice  he  traversed  the  length  of  the  gallery, 
and  then,  with  a  vigor  added  to  his  grace,  he  caught 
Nina  and  swung  her  with  him  into  his  whirling 
dance.  It  had  been  perfectly  done;  even  in  his 
abandon  there  was  no  lack  of  ceremony.  There  was 
none  of  the  "  come  along "  spirit  of  youth  in 
America.  He  was  in  this,  just  as  he  was  in  every- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  83 

thing  else,  a  remnant  of  a  past  age;  he  had.  merely 
been  transformed  into  a  Bacchant!  He  was  in  no 
way  a  mere  young  man  who  had  grabbed  a  young 
girl  around  the  waist  and  made  her  dance. 

But  as  the  princess  watched  them,  her  feelings 
were  strongly  at  variance.  Admiration  played  the 
greater  part.  Even  a  much  less  biased  mind  than 
hers  could  not  have  failed  to  appreciate  the  won- 
derful grace  of  the  man  and  the  girl,  for  Nina  was 
as  graceful  as  he.  Yet  the  princess  looked  vaguely 
troubled,  too,  at  the  thought  that  Giovanni  was 
perhaps  overstepping  his  privilege. 

"  Giovanni !  Nina ! "  she  called,  but  she  might 
as  well  have  appealed  to  the  wind  that  blew  through 
the  courtyard  below,  and  instead  of  their  heeding 
she  felt  her  own  waist  encircled  as  Sansevero,  who 
had  entered  by  the  door  behind  her,  swept  her  into 
the  dance  with  him.  "  But,  Sandro ! "  she  ex- 
claimed, resisting,  "  it  is  .  .  .  not  seemly ! 
What  if  ...  the  servants  .  .  .  should 
see  us?"  But,  joining  Giovanni  in  the 
tune  he  was  whistling,  Sansevero  seemed  to  have 
caught  some  of  his  brother's  humor.  If  Giovanni 
had  become  the  spirit  of  grace,  Alessandro  had 
become  the  spirit  of  recklessness,  and  Eleanor  was 
whirled,  breathless,  not  as  one  dances  usually,  but 
madly,  so  that  her  feet  barely  touched  the  floor. 
To  add  to  the  revelry  of  the  scene,  the  Great  Dane, 
who  was  never  far  from  Giovanni's  side,  now  joined 
the  general  whirl  and  leaped  round  and  round  as 


84?  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

though  he  had  but  newly  come  from  a  bath,  his 
deep  bark  punctuating  the  valse  the  two  men  were 
whistling.  The  princess  felt  an  apprehensive  dread 
of  a  servant's  intrusion,  and  again  a  breathless 
"  Sandro,  stop!"  escaped  her  lips  just  as 

The  portiere  was  lifted  and  the  footman  an- 
nounced, "  Suo  Eccellenza  il  Duca  di  Scorpa!  " 

"  Ah,  I  hope  I  do  not  intrude  upon  the  family 
gaiety !  "  The  duke's  face  was  insinuatingly  bland 
and  his  manner  smooth  as  an  eel. 

The  dancers  stopped  instantly.  The  princess 
flushed,  but  otherwise  only  one  who  knew  her  in- 
timately might  have  guessed  that  she  was  conscious 
of  having  been  put  in  the  position  of  a  careless  and 
undignified  chaperon.  But  she  winced  inwardly, 
and  felt  no  reassurance  in  the  knowledge  that  the 
duke's  tongue  was  known  to  be  more  skillful  in  the 
art  of  embroidering  than  the  fingers  of  the  most 
expert  needlewoman.  Sansevero  followed  his  wife's 
cue,  but  without  feeling  her  dismay,  for  he,  it  must 
be  remembered,  liked  Scorpa.  He  had  the  nai've 
manner  of  a  child  caught  doing  something  foolish, 
but  that  was  all.  Giovanni  welcomed  the  duke 
suavely,  yet,  as  the  princess  led  Scorpa  into  the 
living  rooms,  Nina  had  an  exhibition  of  a  real  side 
of  Giovanni  that  she  was  destined  to  remember  ever 
after. 

She  never  in  her  life  had  imagined  that  such 
fury  could  be  depicted  in  the  human  countenance. 
His  nostrils  dilated,  and  his  jaw  was  squared. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  85 

"  I'll  kill  that  viper  yet ! "  he  muttered  between 
his  teeth,  and,  reaching  out  for  the  first  thing  to 
hand,  his  long  smooth  fingers  locked  around  the 
neck  of  the  Great  Dane — so  tight  that  the  dog,  half 
strangled  and  snarling,  lunged  at  his  tormenter. 
Nina  cried  out  in  horror,  but  instantly  Giovanni's 
temper  vanished  as  it  had  come.  He  relaxed  his 
fingers  with  a  caress;  and  the  animal  fawned  on 
him. 

"  Forgive  me,  Mademoiselle."  He  said  it  as 
lightly  as  though  there  had  been  only  some  trivial 
inattention  to  overlook. 

The  whole  scene  had  taken  place  in  a  moment — 
so  quickly,  in  fact,  that  as  Nina  and  he  followed 
the  princess  through  the  adjoining  rooms,  she  half 
wondered  if  her  senses  had  deceived  her.  What 
manner  of  man  was  this  indolent,  graceful  descend- 
ant of  a  feudal  race?  As  he  approached  the  duke, 
Nina  unconsciously  held  her  breath.  Half  expect- 
ing to  see  them  draw  daggers  then  and  there,  she 
glanced  fearfully  from  one  to  the  other;  but 
Giovanni,  smiling  his  sleepy-eyed  smile,  talked  as 
though  he  thought  the  duke  the  most  charming 
man  in  the  world. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

OPENING  DAY  AT  THE  TITLE  MARKET 

ON  the  evening  of  the  dance  the  Princess 
Malio,  stiff,  thin,  and  sour,  and  the  old  Duch- 
ess Scorpa,  stolid,  ugly,  and  squat,  sat  to- 
gether in  a  corner  of  the  ballroom — that  is  to  say, 
the  picture  gallery — of  the  Palazzo  Sansevero. 

"  So  that  is  the  new  American  heiress !  "  said  the 
duchess.  "  Very  presentable,  I  call  her.  My  Todo 
might  do  worse  than  marry  her — but  of  course  " — 
her  face  drew  itself  into  the  grimace  that  did  duty 
for  a  smile — "  my  Todo  would  have  little  chance 
for  her  favor  in  competition  with  your  nephew." 

The  princess  bowed  in  acknowledgment  and 
strongly  protested  against  the  idea  of  any  one's 
being  able  to  compete  with  a  Duke  Scorpa. 

The  conversation  between  these  two  old  women 
was  always  forced  into  just  such  channels  of  con- 
scious politeness.  It  was  rarely  that  they  disclosed 
the  antagonism  that  formed  the  chief  spice  of  their 
lives.  But  the  princess  could  not  control  an  im- 
pulse to  destroy,  if  possible,  the  satisfaction  of  her 
rival. 

"  My  dear  Duchess,"  she  insinuated  dulcetly, 
"  do  you  really  credit  her  fabulous  fortune  ?  "  Her 

86 


THE    TITLE   MARKET  87 

manner  expressed  her  pity  for  the  other's  credulity. 
"  Such  a  sura  as  five  hundred  thousand  lire  a  year 
too  much  oversteps  the  mark  of  probability.'* 

But  the  complacency  of  the  duchess  was  not  so 
easily  disturbed.  "  Oh,  no,  that  is  not  right !  "  she 
broke  in.  "  I  have  been  assured  that  she  has  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year.  Dollars!  And 
there  are  five  Tire  in  every  dollar,  remember." 

"  Dollars !  "  echoed  the  princess — and  her  voice 
rose  several  notes  above  normal  pitch;  in  fact,  she 
nearly  screamed.  "  I  am  very  certain  you  are  mis- 
informed." But  her  skepticism  barely  covered  her 
real  chagrin  because  her  nephew  was  a  cadaverous 
nonentity,  with  little  to  recommend  him  to  a  title 
hunter.  As  she  looked  at  the  girl  in  question,  how- 
ever, there  was  a  decided  relish  in  her  next  remark: 

"  I  think  Giovanni  Sansevero  will  carry  off  that 
prize!  See  the  way  she  is  smiling  up  at  him.  Ah! 
and  now  they  are  dancing  together.  Certainly  they 
make  a  suitable  looking  couple." 

The  duchess  straightened  her  dumpy  figure  to 
its  greatest  possible  height.  For  once  she  forgot 
herself.  "  Would  any  one  marry  a  Sansevero  when 
there  is  a  Scorpa  to  choose !  " 

"  It  has  happened,"  chuckled  the  princess. 

The  threatening  break  in  their  habitual  polite- 
ness was  averted  by  the  arrival  of  a  third  old  lady, 
the  Marchesa  Valdeste.  As  her  husband  was  the 
receiver  of  the  "  Gran  Collare  de  VAnunziata,"  a 
distinction  that  gave  him  the  rank  of  cousin  to  the 


88  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

king,  the  duchess  and  the  princess  both  rose  for  a 
moment  in  deference.  The  "  collaress  "  seated  her- 
self with  them.  In  contrast  to  theirs,  her  face  was 
sweet  and  fresh,  with  an  expression  almost  like  that 
of  a  young  girl.  Her  whole  personality  was  gentle, 
and  she  punctuated  what  she  said  by  a  curious  little 
swaying  motion,  a  bending  of  the  body  from  the 
waist,  very  suggestive  of  the  way  a  flower  bends 
on  its  stalk  to  the  breeze. 

The  marchesa  was  also  much  interested  in  the 
new  heiress,  and  although  a  certain  finish  of  de- 
meanor now  modified  their  remarks,  none  of  them 
attempted  to  conceal  her  ambition  to  secure  Nina's 
money  for  her  own  family. 

The  Princess  Malio  was  more  eager  than  skeptical 
as  she  asked  the  marchesa,  "  Have  you  heard  the 
story  of  her  half  a  million  dollar  income?  Do  you 
believe  it  possible !  " 

The  marchesa  turned  her  little  hands  over,  palms 
up.  "  She  has  something  incredible,  but  I  cannot 
say  how  much.  Maria  Potensi  asked  the  American 
ambassador  if  the  celebrated  James  Randolph  was 
as  rich  as  reputed,  and  he  said " 

The  duchess  became  almost  apoplectic  in  her 
eagerness.  "  He  said ' 

The  marchesa  looked  for  all  the  world  like  a 
young  girl  telling  a  fairy  tale.  "  He  said  " — she 
breathed  it  in  wonder — "  that  Mr.  Randolph's 
wealth  was  so  fabulous  that  it  was  beyond  com- 
puting !  And  this  is  his  only  child!  " 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  89 

An  awed  stillness  fell  upon  the  group,  each  old 
lady  looking  and  longing  according  to  her  own 
nature.  It  was  the  marchesa  who  at  last  broke 
the  silence.  "  I  cannot  deny  that  I  should  like  my 
Cesare  to  be  so  fortunate  as  to  win  her,  but  I  must 
confess  she  and  Giovanni  Sansevero  make  a  charm- 
ing couple ! " 

"  Dancing,  yes,"  snapped  the  duchess,  "  but  for 
my  taste  they  dance  too  fast ! " 

"  She  is  doubtless  thinking  of  her  tub  of  a  son, 
who  moves  with  about  the  grace  of  an  elephant," 
whispered  the  Princess  Malio  behind  her  fan. 

"  I  can  imagine  nothing  more  graceful  than 
the  picture  they  make  at  this  moment,"  the  mar- 
chesa answered,  wistfully  regarding  the  two  slim 
figures  whirling  down  the  length  of  the  room, 
dancing,  dancing  on!  as  though  it  were  the  first, 
and  not  the  tenth,  time  they  had  traversed  the  great 
gallery ;  the  elastic  poise  of  each  the  same,  the 
gold-colored  gauze  of  Nina's  dress  exactly  match- 
ing the  rippling  waves  of  glorious  hair  only  a  shade 
below  the  sleek  black  head  of  her  partner. 

Yet  the  marchesa  was  perhaps  no  more  anxious 
than  either  of  the  others  to  have  Giovanni  bear  off 
the  American  prize.  "  My  Cesare  does  not  return 
from  England  for  another  month,"  she  added  only 
half  audibly,  and  then  she  sighed. 

Suddenly  the  old  princess  pounced  like  a  lean 
cat  upon  a  new  thought.  "  Ah,  ha !  There  is 
some  trouble  brewing!  Maria  Potensi  has  found 


90  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

your  picture  of  dancing  grace  a  bit  too  charming, 
Di  Valdo  is  biting  his  mustache,  and  she  is  giving 
herself  away!  I  always  thought  the  wind  sat  in 
that  quarter.  Now — she  is  losing  her  temper — and 
with  it  her  discretion !  " 

"  Maria  Potensi  is  above  suspicion,"  interrupted 
the  marchesa.  "  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  word 
of  truth  in  what  you  imply." 

"  But  how  do  you  account  for  her  jewels?  I  am 
interested  to  hear.  There  were  none  in  the  Po- 
tensi family,  nor  in  her  own ! " 

"  She  says  quite  frankly  that  they  were  given 
her  by  an  old  Russian  who  is  her  god-father." 

"  Every  one  knows,"  rejoined  the  princess,  "  that 
di  Valdo  has  made  heavy  debts,  yet  he  is  not  a 
gambler  like  his  brother  Sansevero,  and  he  has  no 
personal  extravagances  that  account  for  the  sums 
borrowed." 

The  "  collaress  "  answered  nothing,  and  the  fat 
duchess,  who  had  so  far  been  only  a  listener,  drew 
her  head  in  like  a  snapping  turtle  as  she  made  the 
satisfactory  observation  that  her  "  Todo  "  was  now 
the  partner  of  the  heiress. 

The  Duke  Scorpa  and  Nina,  standing  for  the 
commencement  of  a  quadrille,  suggested  rather  a 
brigand  and  a  princess  than  a  duke  and  a  titleless 
daughter  of  the  democracy.  Nina  was  holding  her 
head  very  high,  yet  easily  and  unconsciously,  be- 
cause it  was  her  natural  way  of  standing.  The 
dancing  had  brought  color  to  her  cheeks,  and  her 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  91 

eyes  were  sparkling;  but  it  was  at  the  evening  in 
general,  not  at  the  man  who  at  that  moment  was 
trying  to  please  her.  She  could  not  bear  the  duke's 
sharp  little  black  eyes,  his  brutal  square  jaw,  his 
unctuous  manners ;  and  as  he  took  her  hand  to  lead 
her  down  a  figure  of  the  quadrille,  its  thickness  felt 
to  her  imagination  like  a  paw. 

Dancing  vis-a-vis  were  Giovanni  and  the  Contessa 
Potensi.  Nina  did  not  know  her  name  or  anything 
about  her,  but  she  felt  at  first  sight  a  subtle  an- 
tagonism, and,  following  an  instinct  that  she  would 
have  found  difficult  to  account  for,  she  turned  her 
attention  away  toward  a  second  personality,  which 
fascinated  her  in  as  great  a  degree  as  that  of  the 
Potensi  had  repelled. 

"  Who  is  that  over  there  ?  "  she  asked  of  the  duke. 
"  I  mean  the  slender  girl  in  black." 

"  The  Contessa  Olisco.  She  was  a  Russian  prin- 
cess. Her  name  was  Zoya  Kromitskoff.  I  thought 
the  name  of  Zoya  pretty  once1 — that  is,  until  I  heard 
the  name  of  N-i-n-a !  " 

As  he  said  her  name  they  were  just  turning 
around  the  last  figure,  and  she  might  not,  with- 
out attracting  attention,  snatch  her  hand  from  his; 
but  his  familiarity  in  using  her  Christian  name  made 
her  cheeks  burn.  In  the  final  courtesy  she  barely 
inclined  her  head,  and  at  the  close  of  the  dance  went 
in  quest  of  her  aunt  without  noticing  his  proffered 
arm.  At  this  unheard-of  behavior,  the  duke  hur- 
ried after  her,  biting  his  mustache. 


92  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"Ah,  ha!"  ejaculated  the  old  princess  in  the 
ear  of  the  Marchesa  Valdeste,  "  that  cuttle-fish  of 
a  Scorpa  has  thrown  his  tentacles  out  too  far,  and 
the  goldfish  is  scurrying  away  in  alarm."  She 
fanned  herself  in  agitated  satisfaction  at  her 
triumph  over  the  duchess — who  was  pretending  that 
she  had  noticed  no  coolness  in  the  American's  treat- 
ment of  her  son. 

The  next  moment  the  Princess  Sansevero  brought 
Nina  to  present  her  to  the  marchesa.  Nina  had 
been  dancing  at  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the 
"  collaress  "  and  must  therefore  be  presented  at  the 
first  opportunity.  The  marchesa,  with  a  few  kindly 
remarks  about  her  dancing,  would  have  let  her  re- 
turn to  her  partners,  but  the  duchess  moved  pon- 
derously aside  on  the  sofa,  making  a  place  for 
Nina.  Without  prelude  she  began,  "  Is  it  true  that 
you  have  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year?  Or 
is  rumor  mistaken — is  it  only  five  hundred  thousand 
lire?  " 

The  baldness  of  the  question  left  Nina  for  the 
moment  speechless ;  then  presently,  "  I  have  what 
father  gives  me,"  she  answered  evasively. 

"  But  you  are  the  only  child  of  the  American 
multimillionaire,  *  Jemmes  Ronadolf ,'  yes  ?  " 

Nina  nodded  in  affirmative. 

"  The  Duke  Scorpa,  with  whom  you  danced  just 
now,  is  my  son ! "  Her  manner  clearly  demanded 
that  the  American  girl  recognize  the  great  favor 
that  she  had  received.  "  He  is  my  only  son,"  she 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  93 

reiterated,  "  and  the  head  of  the  family  of  the 
Scorpa.  You  must  come  to  tea  to-morrow.  I  es- 
pecially invite  you,  though  we  are  regularly  at 
home." 

The  condescension  of  her  demeanor  can  hardly  be 
described.  Nina  turned  helplessly  toward  the 
Princess  Malio,  but  found  in  her  a  new  inquisitor: 
"  American  fathers  are  proverbially  generous  " — her 
ingratiating  smile  so  ill  suited  her  features  that 
it  seemed  almost  not  to  belong  to  her — "  of  course 
your  dot  will  be  colossal  ?  " 

Again  Nina  gasped,  but  before  she  was  obliged 
to  answer  the  Marchesa  Valdeste  laid  her  hand 
upon  her  arm.  "  Come,  my  dear,"  she  said,  with 
her  soft  Sicilian  accent,  "  it  is  a  pity  to  miss  so 
much  dancing.  It  is  not  right  for  a  young  girl 
to  sit  with  old  ladies  at  a  ball,"  and,  holding  Nina's 
hand  in  hers,  she  led  her  away.  They  had  taken 
only  half  a  dozen  steps  when  she  tapped  a  young 
officer  lightly  with  her  fan. 

He  wheeled  quickly.  "  Ah,  Marchesa ! "  He 
bowed  ceremoniously. 

"  Count  Tornik,"  said  the  marchesa,  "  will  you 
take  Miss  Randolph  to  the  Princess  Sansevero,  or 
where  her  numerous  partners  may  find  her?" 

Count  Tornik  bowed  again,  this  time  to  Nina. 
"Will  you  dance?  I  don't  dance  as  well  as  di 
Valdo."  Nina  looked  up  at  him,  suspicious  and 
displeased,  but  there  was  no  conscious  deprecation 
in  his  manner,  which  indeed  proclaimed  that  whether 


94  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

he  danced  well  or  badly  was  a  matter  unlike  unim- 
portant to  him. 

"  Yes,  let  us  dance,"  she  said. 

As  he  put  his  arm  around  her  it  seemed  to  her 
that  "  an  animated  tin  soldier  "  expressed  him  per- 
fectly. He  held  her  stiffly,  and  so  closely  that  her 
nose  was  crushed  against  the  gold  braiding  of  his 
uniform.  He  was  so  tall,  and  his  shoulders  were 
so  square,  that  she  could  not  see  over  them,  and 
to  add  to  her  discomfort,  he  danced,  not  as  did  the 
Italians,  but  round  and  round  like  a  whirling  der- 
vish. Before  they  had  gone  ten  yards  she  was  so 
dizzy  and  uncomfortable  that  she  stopped. 

Again  Tornik  bowed,  offered  his  arm,  and  with- 
out addressing  a  further  remark  to  her,  led  her  to 
the  Princess  Sansevero.  As  he  took  leave  of  her 
his  expression  showed  a  glimpse  of  understanding, 
a  momentary  illumination.  She  felt  for  an  instant 
a  possibility  of  his  attractiveness,  but  just  as  she 
became  curious  he  was  gone. 

The  men  she  met  after  this  were  a  mere  succes- 
sion of  dancing  figures,  and  at  the  end  of  the  eve- 
ning, when  her  aunt  came  into  her  room  to  kiss 
her  good  night,  she  could  sleepily  distinguish  only 
one  or  two  people  out  of  the  kaleidoscope  of  con- 
fused impressions.  And  even  these  few  melted  off 
into  shadows  as  she  danced  on  and  on  through 
dreamland  with  Giovanni,  amid  gardens  and  marble 
statues,  to  the  magic  rhythm  of  wonder-world 
music. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  95 

But  while  Nina  slept  with  a  happy  little  smile 
still  lying  in  the  corners  of  her  mouth,  the  prin- 
cess in  her  own  room  was  having  an  animated  con- 
versation with  her  husband. 

"Leonora,  my  treasure!"  he  exclaimed  joyously, 
"  things  go  well  for  Giovanni  with  la  bella  Nina  ? 
Hein?  With  her  fortune!  And  to  have  such  an 
air  and  grace,  too — it  is  really  Giovanni  that  is  a 
lucky  one ! "  Before  his  wife  could  interrupt  he 
went  on,  "  Five  hundred  thousand  dollars  income — 
that  is  to  be  her  dot,  isn't  it?  Why,  we  can  have 
all  the  rooms  at  Torre  Sansevero  opened,  and  you, 
my  beautiful  one,  shall  have  again  the  comfort  that 
your  wretch  of  a  husband  has  deprived  you  of ! " 

His  excited  appropriation  of  Nina's  fortune  for 
the  general  family  coffers  jarred;  and  the  princess 
at  once  checked  his  rapidly  soaring  imaginings. 

"  Not  so  fast !  Not  so  fast !  Remember  the 
American  girl  is  used  to  arranging  her  own  mar- 
riage, and  besides  .  .  .  for  nothing  in  the  world 
would  I  try  to  influence  her.  Should  it  turn  out  un- 
happily I  could  never  forgive  myself  .  .  .  never !  " 

Sansevero  looked  at  his  wife  in  open-eyed  amaze- 
ment. "  What  has  come  over  you,  my  dear !  I  am 
not  proposing  to  sell  your  Miss  Millions  to  a  rag 
gatherer.  She  has  no  amount  of  beauty — yes  (as 
he  followed  Eleanor's  expression),  she  has  a  charm- 
ing countenance — molto  slmpatica — also  a  distinc- 
tion that  is  really  rarer  in  your  country  of  beauti- 
ful women.  Giovanni,  on  his  side,  certainly  has  all 


96  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

that  one  could  ask  in  the  way  of  good  looks  and 
intelligence.  He  is  young,  and  he  is  the  sole  heir 
to  my  titles  and  estates — She  would  be  getting  a 
very  good  exchange  for  her  dollars,  I  am  thinking. 
There  is  no  use  to  make  a  face  like  that ;  I  am  not 
trying  to  sell  her  to  an  ogre.  Why,  he  does  not 
even  gamble " 

"  No — but  do  you  think  Giovanni  can  be  true  to 
a  woman?  " 

Sansevero  laughed.  "  What  would  you  have  ? 
Are  you  becoming  a  Puritan  miss,  Leonora  mia?  " 
He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  He  is  young  and  he 
has  heart!  Would  you  have  for  a  nephew-in-law  a 
St.  Anthony?" 

As  the  princess  still  looked  worried,  he  seemed 
afraid  that  he  had  hurt  his  project.  "  Giovanni  is 
of  a  type  that  women  like,"  he  said  reassuringly, 
"  and  probably  he  has  had  his  successes — that  is  all  I 
meant.  Don't  be  so  suspicious !  I  want  merely  to 
further  the  interests  of  two  young  people  who  are 
in  every  way  suited  to  each  other.  Giovanni  may 
be  an  anchorite,  for  all  I  know." 

Eleanor  stood  turning  her  wedding  ring  round 
and  round  on  her  finger.  Then  she  looked  anxiously 
into  her  husband's  face.  He  was  puffing  at  a 
cigarette  that  he  had  lighted,  and  his  eyes  looked 
back  into  hers  with  the  perfectly  innocent  expres- 
sion of  a  child's. 


CHAPTER   IX 

A   DOOB   IS   OPENED   THAT    GIOVANNI   PREFERS    TO 
KEEP  CLOSED 

THE  eyes  of  La  Favorita  boded  good  to  no  one ! 
As  a  hostess  her  deportment  left  much  to  be  de- 
sired, but  since  her  visitors  were  limited  to  her 
very  intimate  friends  it  mattered,  perhaps,  little. 
At  all  events,  as  guest  after  guest  arrived  in  her 
over-decorated  salon,  she  looked  up  expectantly,  and 
then  resumed  her  expression  of  ugly  indifference. 

"  Per  Bacco!  "  she  muttered  quite  audibly  enough 
for  one  to  overhear,  "  this  crowd  seems  to  think  I 
have  asked  all  Rome  to  supper ! " 

She  attacked  two  young  men  of  fashion  as  they 
entered.  Fortunately,  her  manner  somewhat  modi- 
fied the  rudeness  of  her  words — and  the  ill  humor 
of  her  tone  carried  no  conviction.  "  You  cannot 
come  in.  I  did  not  invite  you !  I  have  no  room !  " 

Instead  of  being  angry,  one,  the  Count  Rosso, 
answered  her  in  a  voice  that  was  half  jesting,  half 
conciliatory,  in  the  familiar  second  person  singular: 
"  But  thou  art  quite  mad,  my  dear !  We  were  all 
asked  at  Zizi's  supper.  I,  for  one,  call  it  very  un- 
gracious of  you  to  try  to  dispense  with  our  agree- 
able society." 

La  Favorita  lapsed  once  more  into  indifference. 
97 


98  THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  Oh  well,  I  don't  care  " — she  shrugged  her  shoul- 
ders— "  I  don't  care  whether  you  all  go  or  stay !  " 

A  moment  later  a  group  that  had  formed  at  the 
end  of  the  room  made  a  great  noise,  and  the  hostess, 
suddenly  rousing  again,  swept  toward  them  with 
the  floating  motion  of  the  professional  dancer.  "  I 
wish  you  to  understand,"  she  said  in  a  fury,  "  that 
you  are  to  comport  yourselves  in  my  house  as  you 
would  in  the  palaces  of  the  nobility ! " 

The  group  fell  into  a  half-sympathetic  hush  as 
she  moved  back  again  to  the  door  of  the  entrance. 
A  little  woman — a  cafe  singer — broke  into  a  snatch 
of  song: 

"  The  moon  has  two  sides,  a  black  and  a  white, 
When  the  heart  is  dark  there  can  be  no  light." 

Laughing,  she  snapped  her  fingers.  "  Fava  has 
been  in  a  bad  temper  ever  since  that  American  heiress 
came  to  Rome.  She  fears  that  Miss  America  will 
cut  the  leading  strings  of  Giovanni." 

"  Why  pout  at  that  ?  Giovanni  will  then  be  rich 
— a  rich  lover  is  better  than  a  poor  one  any  day ! " 
laughed  another  soubrette. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  Fava,  anyway?"  put 
in  a  third.  "  She  was  quite  delighted  with  the 
American's  arrival  at  first.  Now  she  might  draw 
a  stiletto  at  any  time." 

"  The  matter  is  that  she  has  heard  the  million- 
airess is  pretty,  and  she  fears  she  will  take  Gio- 
vanni's heart  as  well  as  his  name ! " 


THE    TITLE    MARKET  99 

"  Fava  jealous!  A  delicious  thought  that!  Yet 
I  am  not  sure  that  I  should  care  to  be  in  Giovanni's 
shoes  if  he  wants  to  get  away  from  her,"  observed 
Rigolo,  the  actor. 

Favorita  again  swept  toward  the  group,  her  voice 
strident:  "  Per  Dio!  Do  you  suppose  I  can't 
imagine  what  you  are  all  talking  about,  with  your 
long  ears  together  like  so  many  donkeys  chewing  in 
a  cabbage  patch?  You  need  not  imagine  to  your- 
selves that  I  am  jealous.  No  novice  could  hold 
Giovanni  long.  It  is  I  who  can  tell  you  that,  for 
I  know  such  men  and  their  ways  fairly  well — I  have 
had  experience !  Me !  " 

The  others  took  it  up  in  chorus :  "  Favorita  has 
had  some  experience,  hein!  A  race  between  the 
countries !  Italy  and  America  at  the  barrier. 
Holla,  zip !  they  are  off !  La  Favorita  in  the  lead — 
America  second,  coming  strong."  And  so  it  went 
on.  Favorita  had  returned  to  her  position  by  the 
door.  She  was  more  quiet,  and  in  repose  it  might 
be  seen  that  her  face  looked  drawn — her  eyes,  if 
one  observed  closely,  beneath  the  black  penciling 
showed  traces  of  recent  weeping.  "  Tell  me  some- 
thing," she  said  to  Count  Rosso.  "  What  is  she 
like,  this  Miss  Randolph  ?  Is  it  true  " — her  breath 
came  short — "  that  Giovanni  is  trailing  after  her?  " 

"  Say  after  her  millions,  rather !  I  hope  he  gets 
them  for  your  sake,  Fava.  Then  you  can  have 
the  house  in  the  country  that  you  have  always 
wanted." 


100         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  I'd  rather  he  got  his  money  some  other  way. 
It  does  not  please  me  that  he  should  marry ! " 

"  Aren't  you  unreasonable  ?  Can't  you  give  him 
up  for  a  few  weeks  ?  " 

"  If  you  call  marriage  a  few  weeks." 

Rosso,  laughing,  threw  his  hand  up.  "  How 
long  does  a  honeymoon  last?  A  few  weeks  and  he 
will  be  back." 

But  the  dancer's  eyes  filled,  and  she  set  her  sharp 
little  teeth  together.  "  I  cannot  bear  it !  Ah  Dio! 
I  cannot!  She  is  young — and  surely  she  loves 
him." 

"  Every  woman  thinks  the  man  she  prefers  is 
alike  beloved  by  every  other  woman  he  meets!  I 
have  not  heard  that  she  loves  him ! " 

"  Be  quiet  about  what  you  have  heard — what  I 
want  to  know  is,  does  he  return  it?  I  am  told  she 
is  attractive;  if  she  is — I  shall " 

Count  Rosso  chanced  upon  the  right  remark  in 
answering,  "  Could  a  man,  do  you  think,  who  has 
had  your  favor,  be  satisfied  with  a  cold  American 
girl?  Do  not  be  stupid  !  " 

Favorita  was  slightly  pacified.  "  Is  she  at  all 
like  me  ?  Paint  me  her  portrait !  " 

"  Her  eyes  are — m — m — rather  nice ;  her  skin — 
yes,  good;  her  features — imperfect;  she  holds  her- 
self haughtily — chin  out,  and  her  back  very 
straight,  and  " — as  a  last  assurance,  he  added,  "  she 
speaks  broken  Italian." 

La  Favorita's  coal-black  eyes  lit  with  a  new  light, 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         101 

and  her  whole  body  seemed  to  flutter.  Her  carmine 
lips  parted  as,  with  an  expression  of  quick  joy,  she 
clapped  her  hands  together  and  exclaimed,  "  Ameri- 
can accent!  Per  Diol  She  has  an  American 
accent ! " 

In  her  delight  she  threw  her  arms  about  the 
count's  neck  and  kissed  him  on  the  lips.  With  per- 
fect impartiality  she  turned  to  two  other  men  stand- 
ing near  and  kissed  them  also,  repeating  to  herself 
the  while,  "  An  American  accent !  " 

The  next  arrivals  she  received  as  though  they 
were  both  expected  and  welcome;  greeting  them 
with  the  unintelligible  exclamation,  "  Imagine  speak- 
ing the  only  language  in  the  world  worth  speaking 
with  an  American  accent ! " 

"  But  why  do  we  not  go  into  the  dining-room?  " 
asked  her  stage  manager,  a  heavy  puff  of  a  man. 
"  I  have  a  void  within." 

'*  May  the  void  always  stay,  great  beef ! "  she 
laughed.  Then,  with  a  shrug  and  a  wave  of  her 
arms,  as  though  to  sweep  every  one  out  of  the  room, 
she  cried  petulantly,  "  Go !  and  eat,  all  of  you.  I 
am  glad,  if  only  you  go ! " 

The  company,  for  the  most  part,  laughed  and 
went  into  the  dining-room,  whence  the  sound  of 
revelry  gradually  grew  louder.  The  Count  Rosso 
alone  remained  with  the  hostess.  "  Come,  Fava, 
don't  be  so  headstrong — you're  spoiling  the 
party." 

"  Spoiling  the   party !     Do   you   hear   the  noise 


102         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

they  are  making?  Is  that  the  way  to  conduct  one's 
self  in  a  lady's  house — I  said  a  lady's  house!  Why 
do  you  look  at  me  like  that?  Am  I  not  a  lady  just 
as  much  as  that  daughter  of  an  Indian  squaw  from 
over  the  Atlantic?  Those  in  there  " — she  pointed 
with  her  thumb  toward  the  dining-room — "  they 
would  not  behave  so  in  the  Palazzo  Sansevero ! " 
Then,  without  another  word,  she  followed  where  she 
had  pointed,  so  fast  that  her  thin  draperies  fluttered 
behind  the  lithe  lines  of  her  figure  like  butterfly 
wings.  On  the  threshold  of  the  dining-room  she 
paused,  like  the  bad  fairy  at  the  christening. 

"  Why  should  you  think  you  can  behave  in  my 
house  as  you  would  not  behave  in  the  house  of  a 
princess  ?  " 

The  count,  who  had  followed  her,  seemed  relieved 
that  she  mentioned  no  specific  name.  Her  remark 
seemed  to  touch  a  chord  of  sympathy  in  the  com- 
pany, for  the  women,  especially,  became  very  quiet. 
Favorita  sat  down  at  the  end  of  the  table  between 
the  manager  and  an  empty  place. 

"  Eat  something,  my  girl !  "  he  said  to  her.  "  It 
will  be  the  best  thing  you  can  do ! " 

"  My  need  is  not  the  same  as  yours — I  have  empti- 
ness of  heart." 

Her  alert  hearing  caught  a  footfall,  and  she  was 
looking  eagerly  at  the  door  when  Giovanni  Sanse- 
vero entered.  At  once  her  face  became  transfigured. 
"  Ah,  there  thou  art,  my  mouse ! "  she  said,  pulling 
out  the  chair  beside  her  for  him. 


THE    TITLE   MARKET          103 

He  smiled  and  nodded  familiarly  to  all  at  the 
table. 

"  At  least  it  is  good  for  the  rest  of  us  that  you 
come,  Prince ! "  said  the  manager.  "  Fava  is  in  a 
frightful  mood."  But  there  was  that  in  Giovanni's 
expression  that  made  the  manager's  speech  turn 
quickly  from  any  too  personal  allusion,  and  a 
qualifying  clause  was  trailed  at  the  end  of 
his  sentence,  "  She  may  show  you  more  polite- 
ness." 

Giovanni  looked  annoyed.  The  dancer,  to  ap- 
pease him,  said  gently :  "  You  know  I  am  nervous 
from  overwork.  The  rehearsals  have  been  doubled 
lately.  If  you  don't  come  when  I  expect  you,  I 
imagine  horrors !  "  The  manager  was  about  to  put 
his  fork  into  a  grilled  quail,  when  she  whisked  it 
away  and  put  it  on  Giovanni's  plate.  The  former 
was  obliged  to  vent  his  indignation  against  her  ob- 
stinately turned  back  and  deaf  ears.  She  was  con- 
scious of  nothing  and  of  no  one  but  Giovanni,  whom 
she  was  feeding  with  her  own  fork.  His  appetite, 
however,  paying  small  compliment  to  her  attention, 
she  arose,  and  he  followed  her  into  the  other  room. 
Whereupon  her  guests,  less  constrained  without  her, 
drank  and  were  merry. 

In  the  salon  Giovanni's  musical,  caressing  voice 
was  saying,  "  You  look  bewitching  to-night,  Fava 
mia!  "  He  covered  her  with  his  glance,  so  that  she 
preened  herself.  He  laughed  lightly  at  her  vanity, 
and,  leaning  over,  kissed  her  lovely  shoulder. 


104          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Quickly,  with  both  hands  she  held  him  close,  her 
cheek  against  his. 

"  Carissimo,"  she  said  tensely,  "  if  you  ever  love 
any  other  woman " 

"  I  love  you,"  he  said,  against  her  lips ;  "  let  there 
be  no  doubt  of  that."  And  there  was  a  long  silence 
between  them. 

Giovanni  was  not  one  of  those  who  can  withstand 
a  woman  of  beauty.  He  loved  La  Favorita  passion- 
ately ;  she  perhaps  more  than  any  one  else  could  hold 
him — a  Griselda  one  day,  a  fury  the  next,  but  always 
alive  and  always  beautiful. 

Yet  he  might  have  indulged  his  curiosity  as  to 
what  she  would  do  if  seriously  aroused  to  jealousy, 
had  it  not  been  for  his  innate  hatred  of  all  exhibi- 
tions of  feeling,  which  seemed  to  him  bourgeois.  He 
knew  that  if  the  dancer  had  an  idea  that  he  might 
be  falling  in  love  with  Nina,  she  would  be  capable  of 
any  scandal.  On  the  other  hand,  he  could  not 
imagine  Favorita's  being  jealous  of  the  American 
girl.  He  had  often  congratulated  himself  that 
she  was  not  jealous  of  her  only  real  rival,  the 
Contessa  Potensi,  his  devotion  to  whom,  however,  he 
had  managed  to  keep  so  quiet  that  very  few  persons 
in  Rome  had  a  suspicion  of  it. 

The  contessa,  on  the  other  hand,  looked  upon 
Giovanni's  attention  to  the  dancer  as  an  artifice 
practised  solely  on  her  account,  so  that  the  world 
would  the  less  suspect  his  attachment  to  herself. 
Neither  woman  had  until  now  felt  any  jealousy  of 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          105 

Nina.  To  their  Italian  temperament  she  had  seemed 
too  cold  a  type,  too  antipathetic,  to  be  a  danger. 
The  contessa  was  quite  willing  to  have  Giovanni 
marry  the  heiress,  for  she  never  doubted  that  the  end 
of  the  honeymoon  would  find  him  tied  more  securely 
than  ever  to  her  own  footstool. 

Giovanni,  at  present,  with  his  arms  about  the 
dancer,  was  raining  a  succession  of  kisses  upon  her 
lips,  her  eyes,  her  hair.  He  could  feel  that  she  was 
all  on  edge  about  something,  but,  man-like,  he  pre- 
ferred to  keep  things  on  the  surface  and  not  stir 
depths  that  might  be  turbulent.  His  efforts,  how- 
ever, were  of  small  avail. 

"  Swear  to  me  by  the  Madonna,  and  by  your  an- 
cestors, that  you  will  not  marry !  " 

With  sudden  coldness  Giovanni  drew  away  from 
her.  He  let  both  arms  hang  limp  at  his  sides. 
"  Why  let  this  thought  come  always  between  us ! " 
Then,  exasperated  into  taking  up  the  discussion,  he 
crossed  his  arms  and  faced  her :  "  We  might  as  well 
have  this  out.  I  am  not  engaged — I  swear  that; 
but  whether  I  ever  shall  be  or  not,  you  have  no  cause 
for  jealousy.  Marriage  in  my  world,  you  know 
very  well,  is  not  a  matter  of  inclination,  but  of  ad- 
vantageous arrangement.  There  is  every  reason 
why  I  ought  to  marry,  and  if  that  is  the  case 
why  not  one  as  well  as  another?  My  brother  has 
no  children ;  I  am  the  last  of  my  name." 

With  a  cry  she  flung  her  arms  around  his  neck 
and  broke  into  a  storm  of  weeping.  "  You  shan't 


106         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

marry  her!  You  shan't.  She  shall  not  have  your 
children  for  you !  " 

But  Giovanni  grew  impatient.  He  unclasped  her 
hands  and  pushed  her  away.  "  If  you  make  these 
scenes  all  the  time,  I  won't  come  near  you!  Please, 
once  for  all,  let  us  have  this  ended.  If  there  is  one 
thing  I  can't  endure,  it  is  a  woman  who  cries.  Here, 
take  my  handkerchief.  Come  now — that  is  right, 
be  reasonable."  His  tone  modified,  and  he  lightly 
and  more  affectionately  laid  his  hand  upon  her  shoul- 
der. "  Come  here  a  minute,  I  want  to  show  you  a 
picture."  He  led  her,  as  he  spoke,  before  a  long 
mirror. 

"  Now,  cara  mia,  tell  me,  do  you  think  that  a  man 
who  possessed  the  love  of  such  a  woman  as  that 
would  be  apt  to  run  seeking  elsewhere?  " 

La  Favorita  looked  at  her  own  reflection,  at  the 
slender  yet  full  perfection  of  southern  beauty,  and 
she  saw  also  the  returning  ardor  in  the  face  of  her 
lover  as  he,  too,  looked  at  her  image.  Her  black 
eyes  grew  soft,  her  lips  parted  slightly — with  a  sud- 
den exuberance  he  caught  her  to  him,  and  this  time  he 
held  her  so  tensely  that,  although  her  plaint  was  the 
same,  her  tone  was  altogether  different.  "  But  I 
don't  want  you  to  marry — even  without  love,  I  don't 
want  you  to,"  she  pouted  softly. 

"  You  are  an  idiot,  Fava !  "  But  the  words  were 
whispered  caressingly.  "  It  would  be  much  better 
for  you  if  I  did." 


CHAPTER    X 

ME.    RANDOLPH    SENDS    FOB.    JOHN    DERBY 

MEANWHILE,  one  morning  in  New  York,  the 
express  elevator  of  the  American  Trust 
Building  shot  skyward  without  stop  to  the 
twentieth  story,  at  which  John  Derby  alighted.  He 
emerged  upon  a  broad  space  of  marble  corridor, 
leading  to  the  offices  of  J.  B.  Randolph  &  Co. 
Derby,  being  known — and,  moreover,  on  the  list  of 
those  expected — escaped  the  catechism  to  which 
visitors  usually  were  subjected,  and  was  shown  into 
the  waiting  room  without  question.  When,  some 
minutes  later,  he  was  admitted  to  Mr.  Randolph's 
private  office,  he  caught  the  sign  of  battle  in  the 
ruffled  effect  of  the  great  financier's  hair,  for  he  had 
a  habit,  when  excited,  of  running  his  fingers  up  over 
his  right  temple  until  his  iron  gray  locks  bristled. 
But,  whatever  the  cause  of  his  annoyance,  it  was  put 
aside  as  he  held  out  his  hand  in  unmistakable  wel- 
come to  Derby.  "Hello,  John,  good  work!  You 
have  got  here  nearly  a  day  ahead  of  the  time  I  ex- 
pected you.  What  is  the  latest  news?  Did  you 
have  any  trouble  in  the  swamp  district  ?  " 

"  None  at  all.     We  find  the  quick  sands  average 
only  about  thirty  feet,  and  the  tubes  go  easily  below. 

107 


108         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Everything  is  going  along  splendidly.  Better  than 
I  had  ever  dared  to  hope." 

Mr.  Randolph  nodded  his  satisfaction.  "  And 
now,"  he  said,  "  I'll  tell  you  why  I  wired  for  you. 
The  Volcano  Sulphur  Company  is  buying  every 
available  mine,  and  it  is  time  for  us  to  look  into  the 
Sicilian  possibility.  How  soon  can  you  leave  for 
Italy?" 

"  As  soon  as  you  say,  sir." 

"  Have  you  secured  your  assistant  engineers  ?  " 

"  Jenkins  came  on  with  me,  for  one,  and  I  am 
pretty  sure  I  can  get  a  man  named  Tiggs — a  good 
mechanic,  who  was  with  me  at  Copper  Rock." 

"  And  how  soon  can  you  get  your  machinery  ? 
You'll  have  to  take  everything  in  that  line  with  you. 
Otherwise,  you  might  get  off  by — to-morrow?  The 
Lusitania  sails  in  the  afternoon."  He  added  this 
last  with  impatient  regret. 

Derby  pondered  a  moment,  and  then  answered 
briskly :  "  I  can  make  it.  Jenkins  can  follow  with 
the  machinery  on  a  Mediterranean  boat.  There  will 
be  no  delay  over  there,  as  I'll  have  time  to  make  my 
arrangements." 

"  Good  !  "  Mr.  Randolph  seemed  pleased,  then 
asked  abruptly,  "  How  well  do  you  speak  Italian?  " 

"  Fluently,  very ;  grammatically,  not  at  all." 

Mr.  Randolph  smiled.  "  Fluently  will  be  good 
enough.  Especially  if  you  pick  up  an  assortment 
of  expletives  in  the  Sicilian  vernacular.  Go  to  Rome 
first.  Look  about  and  get  information  on  the  Sicilian 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          109 

mines,  especially  those  that  are  unproductive  by  the 
present  mining  system.  Lease  one  and  try  your 
process.  If  it  works — we  have  the  biggest  thing  in 
the  way  of  a  sulphur  control  imaginable.  You'd 
better  get  an  option  on  every  sulphur  mine  you  can, 
to  lease  on  a  royalty  basis.  Our  Italian  correspond- 
ent will  be  notified  to  honor  your  drafts.  You  will 
have  to  use  your  own  discretion  as  to  necessary  ex- 
penses— of  course,  you  are  to  send  a  weekly  state- 
ment to  the  office.  The  royalty  to  you  on  your  in- 
ventions will  be  ten  per  cent,  on  the  net,  not  the 
gross,  earnings.  Still,  if  it  all  turns  out  well,  you 
ought  to  make  a  nice  thing  out  of  it." 

A  swift  gleam  of  eagerness  leaped  into  the  young 
man's  face.  Mr.  Randolph  looked  at  him  sharply. 
"  I  did  not  know  that  you  were  so  mercenary,  John.'* 

"  In  my  place  any  man  would  want  millions,  or 

else  that "  He  broke  off  abruptly,  leaving  his 

meaning  unexpressed.  But  his  eyes  had  something 
wistful  in  their  direct  appeal,  which  perhaps  the 
older  man  understood,  for  his  expression  was  un- 
usually kind  as  he  asked  with  apparent  irrelevancy, 
"  Have  you  heard  from  Nina?  " 

Derby  flushed  even  under  his  tan,  but  he  answered 
frankly :  "  Yes,  I  have  had  letters  regularly — bully 
ones — full  of  Italy  and  the  high  nobility.  Isn't  it 
just  like  her  to  remember  her  friends  at  home!'* 
Then  he  added  ardently,  "  There  was  never  any  one 
like  Nina — never !  Of  course,  every  man  in  Italy  is 
in  love  with  her  by  now." 


110          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  Humph ! "  was  Mr.  Randolph's  answer,  as  his 
hand  went  up  through  his  hair  until  it  stood  straight 
on  end.  "  Had  she  the  disposition  of  Xantippe  and 
the  ugliness  of  Medusa  she  would  be  called  a  goddess 
divine  by  the  titled  sellers.  But  what  can  I  do?  I 
can't  keep  her  locked  up  at  home — for  the  matter  of 

that,  she  is  run  after  about  as  badly  over  here " 

and  he  added  gently  in  an  altered  tone,  "  My  poor 
little  girl!  Sometimes  I  think  how  much  better  off 
she  would  have  been  as  the  daughter  of  a  man  with- 
out money.  At  present,  of  course,  she  is  beset  with 
every  possible  danger.  I  don't  think  Nina  will  lose 
her  heart  easily,  mind  you,  but  there  is  an  under- 
lying excitement  in  her  letters  that  gives  me  some 
uneasiness  as  to  the  state  of  her  emotions.  I  do  not 
relish  the  possibility  of  her  marrying  one  of  those  in- 
gratiating, cold-hearted,  and  seemingly  ardent 
noblemen."  Then,  as  though  to  qualify  his  general 
statement,  he  continued,  "  My  sister-in-law  married 
a  decent  sort  of  a  man,  and  I  imagine  they  are 
happy — but  she'd  have  done  much  better  if  she  had 
married  your  uncle.  He  never  cared  for  any  one 
else,  and  I  hoped  it  would  be  a  match.  But  Ales- 
sandro  Sansevero  came  along  and  swept  her  off  her 
feet.  She  was  a  great  beauty,  and  I  believe  he  mar- 
ried her  for  love — which  is  more  than  I  can  hope 
in  Nina's  case." 

Into  Derby's  face  there  came  a  look  like  that  of 
the  small  boy  who  gazes  hungrily  into  a  bakery 
.shop  window  as  he  protested.  "  No  one  could  know 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          111 

Nina  well  and  not  love  her.  She  is  the  squarest,  the 
truest,  just  as  she  is  the  most  beautiful,  girl  in  the 
world." 

"  No," — Mr.  Randolph  spoke  quite  slowly,  for 
him — "  Nina  is  not  beautiful — sweet,  and  unspoiled, 
and  lovable,  yes;  but  she  is  not  a  beauty." 

Derby's  face  kindled  with  indignation,  and  he  re- 
torted unguardedly,  "  I  grant  you  she  hasn't  one  of 
those  pleased-with-itself,  don't-disturb-the-placidity- 
of-my-peerless-perfection  sort  of  faces ;  the  valentine 
sort  that  strikes  a  man  at  first  sight,  but  that  at  the 
end  of  a  week  he  would  do  anything  for  the  sake  of 
varying  its  monotony.  But  Nina — the  more  you 
look  at  her  the  more  lovely  she  becomes,  unless  she 
gets  the  notion  that  some  man  wants  to  marry  her 
money — and  then  it  is  time  for  me  to  take  to  the 
prairies !  Her  eyes  get  hard,  her  mouth  goes  up  on 
one  side  and  her  features  seem  to  set  and  freeze. 
She  has  only  one  hard  side,  but  that  is  adamant! 
Poor  girl,  I  can  hardly  blame  her.  As  she  says 
herself,  there  are  proposals  on  her  breakfast 
tray  every  morning — with  all  the  other  adver- 
tisements." 

Mr.  Randolph  looked  directly  into  the  blue  eyes 
before  him,  as  though  to  probe  their  depths.  "  I 
want  my  girl  to  marry  a  man  whom  she  can  look  up 
to  because  he  is  trying  to  accomplish  something  him- 
self," he  said  emphatically,  "  and  not  one  who  will 
lay  his  hat  down  in  the  front  hall  of  my  house  in- 
stead of  at  his  own  office.  And,"  he  added  grimly, 


THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  a  coronet  in  place'  of  the  hat  is  still  less  to  my 
liking." 

A  curiously  restrained,  almost  diffident,  ex- 
pression, which  in  no  way  suited  his  personality, 
came  into  Derby's  face,  and  he  abruptly  rose  to  take 
leave. 

Mr.  Randolph  rose  also,  but,  instead  of  termi- 
nating the  interview,  crossed  the  room,  saying,  "  Be- 
fore you  go,  John,  I  want  to  show  you  a  prize  I 
have  found."  He  turned  a  canvas  that  stood  face 
to  the  wall,  and  lifted  it  to  a  sofa  for  a  better  view. 

It  was  a  marvelous  picture:  a  Madonna  and  child; 
and  on  the  shoulder  of  the  Madonna  was  a  dove. 

"  It  is  supposed  to  be  a  Raphael,"  said  Randolph, 
"  and  I  am  convinced  that  it  is.  The  story  is  rather 
interesting.  Raphael  painted  two  pictures  that 
were  almost  identical.  One  is  in  the  Sansevero 
family.  Their  collection  in  Rome  I  have  seen,  but 
this  picture  has  always  hung  at  Torre  Sansevero, 
their  country  estate,  and  I  have  never  been  there. 
However,  as  I  said,  Raphael  painted  two.  The 
second  belonged  to  the  Belluno  family  and  was  sold 
long  ago  into  France.  There  it  became  the  prop- 
erty of  a  Due  du  Richeur,  and  during  the  Revolu- 
tion it  was  supposedly  destroyed.  Some  time  ago 
Christopher  Shayne,  the  dealer,  bought  among  other 
things  at  an  auction  a  nearly  black  canvas.  On 
having  it  cleaned,  this  was  the  result — without  doubt 
the  lost  Raphael !  " 

"  Jove,    that's    interesting ! "    exclaimed    Derby. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          113 

"  I'd  like  to  see  the  other.  Perhaps  I'll  have  the 
chance,  although  Nina  wrote  that  they  were  leaving 
for  Rome,  and  that  was  several  weeks  ago.  But 
now  good-by,  sir.  Tiggs  and  Jenkins  are  to  meet 
me  at  the  Engineers'  Club  at  noon.  I  am  sure  I  can 
get  off  to-morrow." 

Mr.  Randolph  held  the  younger  man's  hand  in  a 
long  clasp  as  he  said,  "  Good-by,  my  boy,  and — luck 
to  you ! " 

As  Derby  left  the  office,  the  sudden  prospect  of 
seeing  Nina  so  soon  set  his  thoughts  in  a  turmoil  un- 
usual to  the  condition  in  which  he  managed  pretty 
steadily  to  keep  them.  Of  all  the  things  that  this 
young  man  had  accomplished,  none  had  been  more  dif- 
ficult than  preserving  the  attitude  toward  Nina  that 
he  had  after  careful  deliberation  determined  upon. 
To  his  chagrin  the  task  became  more,  instead  of  less, 
difficult,  as  time  went  on.  In  the  long  ago,  it  had 
been  she  who  adored  and  he  who  accepted  the  adora- 
tion— in  the  way  common  with  the  big  boy  and  the 
little  girl.  He  had  taught  her  to  swim,  and  to  ride, 
and  to  shoot.  And — though  he  did  not  realize  it — 
from  his  own  precepts  she  had  acquired  a  directness 
of  outlook  and  a  sense  of  truth  that  embodied  justice 
as  well  as  candor,  and  that  was  in  quality  much  more 
like  that  of  a  boy  than  a  girl. 

Then  came  the  time  when  he  was  no  longer  a  boy. 
He  went  out  West,  and  work  made  him  serious,  and 
absence  made  him  realize  that  he  loved  her  as  that 


114          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

rare  type  of  man  loves  who  loves  but  one  woman  in 
his  life.  But  she,  never  dreaming  of  any  change  in 
his  feelings,  went  on  thinking  of  him  always  as  of  a 
brother.  Often,  when  he  returned  from  a  long  ab- 
sence, and  she  ran  to  meet  him  with  both  hands  out- 
stretched, he  looked  for  some  sign  from  her — some 
fleeting  gleam  such  as  he  had  caught  in  other 
women's  eyes.  But  always  Nina's  glance  had  met 
his  own  affectionately,  but  squarely  and  tranquilly. 
His  coming,  or  his  going,  brought  smiles  or  gravity 
to  her  lips,  but  her  eyes  showed  no  sudden  veiling  of 
feeling,  no  new  consciousness  of  meaning  unex- 
pressed. When  she  laughed,  they  danced  as  though 
the  sunlight  were  caught  under  their  hazel  surface. 
When  she  was  serious,  they  were  velvety  soft.  To 
John  hers  was  the  sweetest,  brightest,  and  assuredly 
the  most  expressive  face  in  the  world.  But  he  knew 
the  distrust  and  coldness  that  would  undoubtedly  be 
his  portion  should  he  ever  forget  the  role  that  up  to 
the  present  he  had  played  to  perfection — that  of  her 
brotherly,  affectionate  friend.  Her  very  expression, 
"  Dear  old  John  " — generally  she  said  "  Jack  " — 
her  entire  lack  of  reserve  or  self-consciousness  in  his 
presence,  put  him  where  he  belonged. 

And  the  other  women — undoubtedly  there  were 
lots  of  the  every-day  kind,  waiting  all  along  the 
stream,  just  as  there  always  are  when  a  man  is  young 
and  fairly  good  to  look  upon.  And  there  were  the 
different,  and  far  more  dangerous,  "  other  women," 
who  wait  at  the  whirlpools  for  a  man  who  has  that 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         115 

elusive  but  distinctly  felt  magnetism  which  some 
personalities  exert,  seemingly  with  indifference,  and 
quite  apart  from  any  effort  or  intent.  But  John 
Derby  lashed  his  heart  to  the  mast  of  hard  work  and 
resolutely  turned  his  eyes  and  ears  from  the  sirens. 
And  so  he  saw  the  years  stretching  on,  always 
crammed  with  tasks  that  he  was  to  accomplish,  but 
without  hope  of  ever  winning  the  girl  he  loved,  be- 
cause of  the  barrier  of  her  money. 

Only  a  short  time  before,  when  a  letter  from  her 
had  come  to  Breakstone — a  long  letter  full  of  the 
beauty  and  charm  of  Italy  and  the  Italians — Derby 
had  gone  to  the  edge  of  the  forest  and — for  no  reason 
that  any  one  could  see,  save  the  apparent  joy  of 
swinging  an  axe — chopped  a  tree  into  fire-wood. 

"  D — n  it  all,"  he  muttered  as  the  chips  flew,  "  I 
could  support  a  wife — if  she  wasn't  so  all-fired  rich." 
Later  he  carried  a  load  of  his  wood  across  the  clear- 
ing to  the  camp  and  slammed  it  down.  "  Oh,  h — .  I 
hate  money ! "  he  exclaimed  vehemently  to  Jenkins. 

Jenkins,  a  Southerner,  took  the  statement  placidly. 
*'  Looks  like  you're  workin'  powerful  hard  to  get 
what  you  don't  care  for.  Some  of  that  kindlin'  'd 
go  good  under  this  soup  pot." 

Derby  laughed  and  fed  the  fire.  But  "  Shut  up, 
Jenkins,  you  ass ! "  was  all  the  latter  got  for  a  retort 
courteous. 


CHAPTER    XI 

HOME  GOES  TO  THE  OPEEA 

ON  the  evening  of  the  first  court  ball,  the 
Sanseveros  gave  a  small  dinner,  after  which 
they  went  to  the  opera.  The  guests  were  the 
Count  and  Countess  Olisco,  Count  Tornik,  Don 
Cesare  Carpazzi,  and  Prince  Minotti.  Don  Cesare 
Carpazzi,  a  thin  swarthy  youth,  sat  just  across  the 
corner  of  the  table  from  Nina.  Although  his  ap- 
pearance was  one  of  great  neatness,  it  was  all  too 
evident,  if  one  observed  with  good  eyes,  that  the 
edges  of  his  shirt  had  been  trimmed  with  the  scissors 
until  the  hem  narrowed  close  to  the  line  of  stitching ; 
and  his  evening  clothes  in  a  strong  light  would  have 
revealed  not  only  the  fatal  gloss  of  long  use,  but  also 
careful  darning.  The  old  saying  that  "  Clothes 
make  the  man  "  was  refuted  in  his  case,  however,  as 
his  arrogance  was  proclaimed  in  every  gesture. 

Sitting  next  to  him  was  the  Countess  Olisco,  the 
Russian  whom  Nina  had  noted  and  admired  at  her 
aunt's  ball.  As  there  were  but  nine  at  dinner,  and 
the  conversation  was  general,  Nina  had  time  to  ob- 
serve closely  her  appearance.  She  had  the  broad 
Russian  brow,  the  Egyptian  eyes  and  unbroken 
bridge  of  the  nose.  She  was  the  most  slender  woman 
imaginable,  and  her  slenderness  was  exaggerated  by 

116 


THE    TITLE   MARKET          117 

the  fashion  of  wearing  her  hair  piled  up  so  high  and 
so  far  forward  that  at  a  distance  it  might  be  taken 
for  a  small  black  fur  toque  tipped  over  her  nose. 
She  rarely  wore  colors,  but  to-night,  because  of  the 
etiquette  against  wearing  black  at  court,  her  long- 
trained  dress  was  of  sapphire  blue  velvet,  as  severe 
and  as  clinging  as  possible. 

Nina  divined  better  than  she  knew,  when  she  put 
the  little  Russian  and  Carpazzi  in  the  same  category. 
Fundamentally  they  were  much  the  same,  but  where- 
as he  was  always  bursting  into  flame,  the  contessa 
suggested  a  well  banked  fire  that  burned  continually, 
but  within  destroyed  itself  rather  than  others. 
Thin,  white,  and  self-consuming,  she  was  like  the 
small  Russian  cigarettes  that  were  never  out  of  her 
lips.  Fragile  as  she  looked,  she  had  a  will  that 
brooked  no  obstacle,  an  energy  that  knew  no  fatigue. 

Aside  from  her  appearance,  the  story  that  Gio- 
vanni had  related  of  the  contessa's  marriage  was  in 
itself  enough  to  arouse  the  interest  of  any  girl  alive 
to  romance.  According  to  him,  she  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  Russian  nobleman  of  great  family  and 
wealth.  The  Count  Olisco  (a  mild-eyed  Italian  boy, 
he  looked)  had  been  attached  to  the  legation  at 
St.  Petersburg.  Zoya  was  only  sixteen  years  old 
when  she  announced  her  intention  of  marrying  him. 
Her  father,  furious  that  the  Italian  had  dared  ap- 
proach his  daughter,  demanded  his  recall,  whereupon 
she  told  him  the  astonishing  news  that  Olisco  had 
never,  to  her  knowledge,  even  seen  her.  But  she 


118         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

declared  that  if  her  father  did  not  marry  her  to  him, 
she  would  kill  herself. 

She  did  take  poison  but,  being  saved  by  the  doc- 
tors, who  discovered  it  through  her  maid,  she  sent 
the  same  maid  to  tell  the  Count  Olisco  the  whole 
story.  The  romance  of  her  act,  coupled  with  her 
beauty  and  her  birth,  naturally  so  flattered  the 
young  Italian  that  he  offered  himself  as  a  suitor, 
and,  her  father  relenting,  they  were  married. 

Nina  was  left  for  some  time  to  her  own  thoughts, 
as  her  Italian  (not  particularly  fluent  at  best)  was 
altogether  lacking  in  idiom,  and  she  missed  the  point 
of  most  that  was  said.  In  the  first  lull,  the  Count 
Olisco  asked  her  the  usual  question  put  to  every 
stranger,  "  How  do  you  like  Rome  ?  " 

The  Countess  Olisco,  like  an  echo,  caught  and 
repeated  her  husband's  inquiry,  "  Ah,  and  do  you 
like  Rome?" 

And  then  Carpazzi  hoped  she  liked  Rome — and 
this  very  harmless  subject  was  tossed  gently  back 
and  forth,  until  Prince  Minotti  gave  it  an  unex- 
pectedly violent  fling  by  remarking,  "  I  suppose 
Signorina,  that  you  have  been  impressed  " — he  held 
the  pause  with  evident  satisfaction — "  with  the  great 
history  of  the  Carpazzi,  without  which  there  would 
be  no  Rome !  " 

All  at  once  the  young  man  in  the  threadbare  coat 
became  like  a  live  wire !  His  hair,  which  already  was 
en  brosse,  seemed  to  rise  still  higher  on  his  head,  his 
thin  lips  quivered,  and  his  hands  worked  in  a  com- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          119 

plete  language  of  their  own.  He  put  up  an  im- 
mediate barrier  with  his  palms  held  rigidly  outward. 
All  the  table  stopped  to  look,  and  to  listen. 

"  Does  a  Principe  Minotti  " — he  pronounced  the 
word  "  Principe  "  with  a  sneering  curl  of  the  lips — 
"  dare  to  criticize  a  Carpazzi  ?  "  He  threw  back  his 
head  with  a  jerk. 

"  What  is  he?  "  whispered  Nina  to  Tornik,  who 
was  sitting  next  her.  "  Is  he  a  duke  ?  " 

"  A  Don,  that  is  all,  I  believe." 

Softly  as  the  question  was  put  and  answered,  Car- 
pazzi heard.  Showing  none  of  the  fury  of  a  moment 
before  he  spoke  suavely,  though  still  with  arrogance. 

"  Signorina  is  a  stranger  in  Rome ;  the  Count 
Tornik  also  is  a  foreigner,  which  excuses  an  igno- 
rance that  would  be  unpardonable  in  an  Italian." 

Tornik  at  that  moment  pulled  his  mustache,  look- 
ing at  it  down  the  length  of  his  nose.  It  was  im- 
possible to  tell  whether  the  movement  hid  annoyance 
or  amusement.  Nina  was  keen  with  curiosity. 

"  Of  course,"  Nina  said  sweetly,  eager  to  soothe 
his  over-sensitive  pride,  "  I  have  heard  of  the  Car- 
pazzi, but  I  do  not  know  what  is  the  title  of  your 
house.  I  asked  Count  Tornik  whether  you  were  a 
duke." 

"  I  am  Cesare  di  Carpazzi !  "  He  said  it  as  though 
he  had  announced  that  he  was  the  Emperor  of  China. 

"  The  Carpazzi  are  of  the  oldest  nobility,"  Gio- 
vanni interposed.  "  Such  a  name  is  in  itself  higher 
than  a  title." 


120          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Don  Cesare  bowed  to  Don  Giovanni  as  though  to 
say,  "  You  see !  thus  it  is !  " 

The  subject  would  have  simmered  down,  had  not 
Tornik  at  this  point  set  it  boiling,  by  saying  in  an 
undertone  to  Nina,  "  Why  all  this  fuss  ?  It  is 
stupid,  don't  you  think  ?  " 

He  spoke  in  French,  carelessly  articulated,  but  the 
sharp  ears  of  Carpazzi  overheard. 

"  Why  all  this  fuss ! "  he  repeated.  "  It  is  in- 
supportable that  an  upstart  of  '  nobility '  styled 
p-r-ince  " — he  snarled  the  word — "  a  title  that  was 
bought  with  a  tumbledown  estate,  dares  to  speak 
lightly  the  great  name  of  the  Carpazzi,  a  name  that 
is  higher  than  that  of  the  reigning  family." 

His  flexible  fingers  flashed  and  grew  stiff  by  turns. 
Nina  had  seen  a  good  deal  of  gesticulating  since  she 
had  come  to  Rome;  she  had  even  been  told  that  the 
different  expressions  of  the  hand  had  meanings  quite 
as  distinct  as  smiles  or  frowns  or  spoken  words,  and 
Carpazzi's  fingers  certainly  looked  insulting,  as  with 
each  snap  he  also  snapped  his  lips. 

"  You  know  whereof  I  speak,  Alessandro  and  Gio- 
vanni— not  even  the  Sansevero  have  the  lineage  of 
the  Carpazzi !  " 

"  Certainly,  certainly,  my  friend,"  answered  Gio- 
vanni. "  No  one  is  disputing  the  fact  with  you." 

"  But  I  should  think,"  ventured  Nina,  her  velvety 
eyes  looking  wonderingly  into  his  flashing  black 
ones,  "  that  you  would  accept  a  title,  it  would  make 
it  so  much  simpler — especially  among  strangers  who 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          121 

do  not  know  the  family  history.  A  duke  is  a  duke 
and  a  prince  for  instance " 

Up  went  his  hand,  rigid,  palm  outward,  and  at 
right  angles  to  his  wrist,  "  There  you  are  wrong. 
A  duke  or  a  prince  may  be  a  parvenu.  For  me  to 
accept  a  title — Non !  It  would  mean  that  the  name 
of  Carpazzi," — he  lingered  on  the  pronunciation — 
"  could  be  improved !  The  name  of  Minotti,  for  in- 
stance, what  does  it  say?  Nothing!  It  is  the  name 
of  a  peasant.  It  may  be  dressed  up  to  masquerade 
as  noble,  if  it  has  '  Principe '  pushed  along  before  it. 
But  it  could  not  deceive  a  Roman.  It  is  not  the 
1  Principe  '  before  Sansevero  that  gives  it  renown. 
Don  Giovanni  Sansevero  is  a  greater  title  than  the 
Marchese  Di  Valdo,  by  which  Giovanni  is  generally 
known.  Yet  Di  Valdo  is  a  good  name,  too,  let  me 
tell  you." 

The  Princess  Sansevero  kept  Minotti's  attention 
as  much  as  possible,  so  that  it  might  appear  that 
Carpazzi's  arraignment  had  not  been  heard.  All 
that  Carpazzi  said  was  perfectly  true.  There  was 
little  therefore  that  Minotti  could  have  answered. 
He  was  a  man  of  plebeian  origin.  His  father,  a  rich 
speculator,  had  bought  a  piece  of  property  and  as- 
sumed the  title  that  went  with  it.  To  a  Roman  the 
name  Carpazzi  was  a  great  deal  higher  than  that  of 
any  number  of  dukes  and  princes. 

The  question  of  "  Good  Taste,"  however,  was  an- 
other matter  and  the  princess  changed  the  subject 
by  asking: 


THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  Does  any  one  know  what  the  opera  is  to-night?  " 

The  Contessa  Olisco  announced :  "  La  Traviata." 
"  They  are  to  have  a  special  scene  in  the  third  act," 
she  said,  "  to  introduce  a  new  dance  of  Favorita's." 
She  did  not  look  at  Giovanni,  and  yet  she  seemed  to 
be  aiming  her  remarks  at  him.  To  Nina  it  all  meant 
nothing.  Once  or  twice  she  had  heard  the  name  of 
the  celebrated  dancer,  but  it  merely  brushed  through 
her  perceptions  like  other  fleeting  suggestions ; 
nothing  ever  had  brought  it  to  a  full  stop. 

The  talk  turned  on  other  topics,  and  as  the  meal 
was  very  short,  only  five  courses,  the  princess,  the 
contessa,  and  Nina  soon  withdrew  to  another  room. 
The  conversation  there,  as  it  happened,  came  back 
to  the  subject  of  Carpazzi. 

Zoya  Olisco  lit  her  cigarette  and  spoke  with  it 
pasted  on  her  lower  lip.  She  smoked  like  this  con- 
tinually, and  never  touched  the  cigarette  except  to 
light  it  and  put  a  new  one  in  its  place. 

"  Though  I  see  what  he  means,"  she  said,  "  I 
should,  were  I  in  his  place,  claim  a  title !  They  need 
not  take  a  new  one.  My  husband  told  me  that  the 
Carpazzi  were  of  the  genuine  optimates  of  the  Roman 
Duchy." 

"  I  think  Cesare  regrets  in  his  heart,"  said  the 
Princess  Sansevero,  "  that  his  ancestors  did  not  ac- 
cept one,  but  I  agree  with  him  now." 

She  stirred  her  coffee  slowly  and  then  added,  "  I 
am  fond  of  the  boy,  but  I  do  not  think  I  shall  have 
him  to  dinner  soon  again.  He  is  too  uncontrolled." 


THE    TITLE   MARKET         123 

The  contessa  agreed.  And  then,  with  her  eyes 
half  shut  to  avoid  the  smoke  of  her  cigarette,  she 
stared  with  fixed  curiosity  at  Nina. 

"  Do  you  find  people  here  like  those  in  America  ?  " 
she  asked. 

"  Yes,  some  are  quite  like  Americans,"  Nina 
answered,  and  added  frankly,  "  but  you  at  least  are 
altogether  different  from  any  one  I  have  ever  seen ! " 

"Really,  am  I?"  The  contessa  raised  her  eye- 
brows and  laughed.  "  I  know  of  what  you  are 
thinking !  "  She  said  it  with  a  deliciously  impulsive 
candor.  "  You  are  thinking  of  my  marriage.  Yes, 
it  is  true !  The  instant  my  father  said  *  no,'  I  took 
poison.  It  was  the  only  way.  Had  fate  willed  it,  I 
would  have  died.  But  fate  willed  that  I  should  be 
— just  married."  She  laughed  again. 

Nina  glanced  at  her  aunt,  whose  answering  smile 
said  clearly,  "  I  told  you  she  was  like  this." 

The  contessa  lit  another  cigarette — everything  she 
said  and  did  seemed  incongruous  with  her  appear- 
ance, she  was  so  fragile  and  so  young.  Nina  be- 
came more  and  more  fascinated  as  she  watched  her. 

"  But  supposing  that,  after  meeting  him,  you  had 
not  liked  him  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  That  is  impossible.  I  know  always  if  I  like 
people.  I  like  people  at  sight — or  I  detest  them! 
For  instance,  I  detest  Donna  Francesca  Dobini. 
She  is  a  beauty,  I  know.  She  has  charming  man- 
ners ;  so  has  a  cat.  She  is  all  soft  sweetness.  Ugh  1 
I  hate  her !— But  I  like  you." 


124         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Nina  was  delighted,  but  she  could  not  help  being 
amused.  "  You  don't  know  me  in  the  least,"  she 
laughed.  "  I  may  be  a  perfectly  horrid  person." 

The  contessa  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  That  is 
nothing  to  me.  No  doubt  I  adore  some  very  horrid 
persons ! "  Then  impetuously  she  ran  her  arm 
through  Nina's  as  they  walked  through  the  long 
row  of  rooms  to  the  one  where  their  wraps  were. 
"  I  like  you !  "  she  repeated ;  "  that  is  all  there  is  to 
it!" 

In  the  hall  they  were  joined  by  the  men,  and 
started  for  the  opera. 

Here,  Nina  had  an  unusual  opportunity  to  see 
Roman  Society,  as  the  house  that  night  was  brilliant 
with  the  people  who  were  going  afterwards  to  the 
Court  Ball.  Donna  Francesca  Dobini,  a  celebrated 
beauty,  was  rather  affectedly  draped  in  a  tulle  ar- 
rangement around  her  shoulders.  The  Contessa 
Olisco,  who  for  the  time  being  was  forced  to  do  with- 
out her  cigarette,  said  to  Nina : 

"  Look  at  her,  there  she  is !  She  is  *  going  off,' 
so  that  she  has  to  wrap  tulle  about  her  old  neck  to 
hide  the  wrinkles." 

She  moved  the  column  of  her  young  throat  with 
conscious  triumph  as  she  spoke.  A  moment  later,  as 
though  Nina  would  understand,  she  whispered: 
"  There  is  the  Potensi !  No !  In  the  box  opposite. 
She  has  on  a  dress  of  purple  velvet.  Sitting  very 
straight,  and  quantities  of  diamonds." 

Nina  put  up  her  opera  glass  and  encountered  an 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         125 

insolent  stare,  as  though  the  Contessa  Potensi  were 
purposely  disdainful  of  the  American  girl. 

"  She  is  the  same  one  with  whom  Don  Giovanni 
danced  opposite  in  the  quadrille !  Heavens !  but  she 
is  a  disagreeable  person !  " 

"  She  has  reason  for  looking  disagreeable,"  an- 
nounced the  Contessa  Zoya  with  a  meaning  laugh; 
but  more  she  would  not  say. 

Giovanni  leaned  over  Nina's  chair.  "  Do  you  find 
the  Romans  attractive?  How  does  our  opera  com- 
pare with  that  of  New  York  ?  " 

"  The  house  seems  made  of  cardboard,"  Nina 
answered.  "  I  never  thought  our  opera  houses 
especially  wonderful " 

"  No?  "  Giovanni  rallied  her.  "  Is  it  possible 
that  you  have  anything  in  America  that  is  not  the 
most  wonderful  in  the  world!  I  am  sure  you  will 
say  your  opera  house  is  bigger!  And  richer!  and 
more  comfortable !  Yes  ?  Of  course  it  is  !  "  He 
laughed.  "  My  apple  is  bigger  than  your  apple. 
My  doll  is  bigger  than  your  doll!  What  children 
you  are,  you  Americans !  " 

"  If  we  are  children,"  retorted  Nina,  piqued  by 
his  laughter,  "  we  must  be  granted  the  advantages 
of  youth !  " 

With  a  sudden  gravity,  but  none  the  less  mock- 
ingly, Giovanni  besought  her  for  enlightenment. 

"  We  gain  in  enthusiasm,  energy,  and  honesty," 
she  announced  sententiously.  "  A  country  and  a 
people  never  attain  perfection  of  finish  until  they 


126          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

have  begun  to  grow  decadent.  I'd  rather  have  my 
doll  and  my  big  apple  than  sit,  like  an  old  cynic,  in 
the  corner,  watching  the  children  play ! " 

She  was  immensely  pleased  with  this  speech, — 
mentally  she  quite  preened  herself.  Giovanni  looked 
amused,  but  the  Contessa  Potensi  caught  his  glance 
from  across  the  house,  and  his  smile  faded  as  he 
bowed.  Nina,  who  had  good  eyes,  saw  a  complete 
change  in  her  face  as  she  returned  his  salutation. 

"  Do  you  like  that  woman  ?  " 

"  She  is  one  of  the  beauties  of  Rome,"  he  said 
evasively. 

"  No,  but  do  you  like  her?  "  Nina  could  not  her- 
self have  told  why  she  was  so  insistent. 

"  She  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,"  he  said  lightly ; 
then  changed  the  subject.  "  Do  you  follow  the 
hounds,  Miss  Randolph?  " 

"  At  home,  yes."  But  she  came  back  to  the 
former  topic.  "  Does  she  ride  very  well,  the  Con- 
tessa Potensi  ?  " 

"  Wonderfully."  This  time  he  answered  her 
easily.  "  But  I  am  sure  you  ride  well,  too.  Any  one 
who  dances  as  you  do,  must  also  be  a  horsewoman." 

There  was  something  in  Giovanni's  manner  that 
excited  suspicion,  but  she  did  not  know  of  what. 
She  half  wondered  if  there  had  been  a  love  affair 
between  him  and  the  Contessa.  Maybe  he  had  wanted 
to  marry  her  and  she  had  accepted  Potensi  instead. 
She  wondered  if  Giovanni  still  cared ;  and  for  a  wliile 
her  sympathy  was  quite  aroused. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         127 

The  curtain  went  up  and  every  one  stopped  talk- 
ing. At  the  beginning  of  the  entr'acte  Giovanni 
left  the  box,  and  Count  Tornik  took  his  chair.  He 
was  a  strange  man,  but  Nina  was  beginning  to  like 
him.  Notwithstanding  his  brusque  indifference,  he 
had  a  charm  that  he  could  exert  when  he  chose.  Gio- 
vanni's speeches  were  no  more  flattering  than  Tor- 
nik's  lapses  from  boredom. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  spite  of  his  assumed 
bad  manners,  the  social  instinct  was  so, strong  in  him 
that,  just  as  a  vulgar  person  shows  his  origin  in 
every  unguarded  moment  or  unexpected  situation, 
Tornik's  good  breeding  was  constantly  revealed. 
And  in  appearance,  he  was  an  attractive  contrast  to 
the  Italians,  tall,  broad-shouldered,  very  blond,  and 
high  cheekboned;  he  might  have  been  taken  for  an 
Englishman. 

Presently  her  Majesty,  the  Dowager  Queen,  ap- 
peared in  the  royal  box,  and  every  one  in  the  audi- 
ence arose. 

"  Shall  we  see  both  queens  to-night  at  the  ball?  " 
Nina  asked  the  Princess  Sansevero. 

"  No ;  only  Queen  Elena.  The  Queen  Mother  has 
never  been  present  at  a  ball  since  King  Umberto's 
tragic  death." 

"  I  wish  this  evening  were  over,"  said  Nina,  with  a 
half -frightened  sigh. 

The  Contessa  Olisco,  who  had  caught  the  remark 
and  the  sigh,  asked  sympathetically,  "  But  why?  " 

"  I  was  nervous  enough  over  going  alone  to  the 


128          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

presentation  the  other  afternoon,  but  to  go  to  a  ball 
is  much  worse." 

"  But  you  won't  be  alone.  We  shall  be  there ! 
You  may  have  your  endurance  put  to  the  test, 
though.  Are  you  very  strong?  " 

Nina  laughed.  "  You  mean,  have  I  the  strength 
to  stand  indefinitely  without  dropping  to  the  floor  ?  " 

"  Ah !  you  know,  then,  how  it  is.  Still — if  it  is 
hard  for  us,  think  what  it  must  be  for  their  Majes- 
ties. To-night,  for  instance,  the  King  does  not  once 
sit  down !  " 

Nina  opened  her  eyes  wide.  "  I  thought  the  King 
and  Queen  sat  on  their  throne.  But  then — I  had  an 
idea  the  presentation  would  be  like  that,  too — and 
that  I  should  have  to  courtesy  all  across  a  room,  and 
back  out  again." 

The  Contessa  Zoya  seemed  to  be  occupied  with  a 
reminiscence  that  amused  her.  "  If  you  have  a 
special  audience,  you  do,  or  if  you  go  to  take  tea. 
We  had  a  private  audience  yesterday  with  Queen 
Margherita  and — I  had  on  a  long  train — and  cling- 
ing. Of  course,  entering  the  room  is  not  hard — I 
made  my  three  reverences  very  nicely,  very  grace- 
fully, I  thought, — one  at  the  door,  one  half-way 
across  the  room,  and  one  directly  before  the  Queen, 
as  I  kissed  her  hand.  But  when  the  audience  was 
over,  the  distance  between  where  her  Majesty  sat  and 
the  door  of  exit — my  dear,  it  seemed  leagues !  One 
must  back  all  the  way  and  make  three  deep  cour- 
tesies !  The  first  was  simple,  the  second,  half-way 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         129 

across  the  room,  was  difficult.  I  was  already  stand- 
ing on  nearly  a  meter  of  train,  and  when  I  got  to 
the  door — well,  I  just  walked  all  the  way  up  the  back 
of  my  dress,  lost  my  balance  and  fell  out!  " 

Nina  laughed  at  the  picture,  but  was  glad  the 
presentation  had  not  been  like  that. 

"  When  you  go  to  take  tea  with  the  Queen  it  is 
difficult,  too,"  Zoya,  having  begun  to  explain,  went 
on  with  all  the  details  that  came  to  mind.  "  Since  two 
years  Queen  Elena  has  given  *  tea  parties '  of  about 
thirty  or  forty  people.  Her  Majesty  talks  to  every 
one  separately,  or  in  very  small  groups,  while  tea  and 
cake  and  chocolate  and  iced  drinks  are  served  by 
the  ladies  in  waiting — there  are  never  any  servants 
present.  It  is  of  course  charming,  and  the  Queen 
puts  every  one  at  ease,  but  there  is  always  a  feeling 
that  you  may  do  something  dreadful — such  as  drop 
a  spoon  or  have  your  mouth  full  just  at  the  moment 
when  her  Majesty  addresses  a  remark  to  you.  At 
the  Queen  Mother's  Court  things  are  more  formal — 
more  ceremonious.  I  always  feel  timid  before  I  go. 
And  yet  no  sovereign  could  be  more  gracious,  and 
her  memory  is  extraordinary.  She  forgets  nothing. 
Yesterday  she  asked  me  how  the  baby  was.  She 
knew  his  age,  even  his  name  and  all  about  him.  She 
asked  me  if  he  had  recovered  from  the  bronchitis  he 
was  subject  to.  Think  of  it !  " 

Nina  looked  long  at  the  royal  box,  and  could  well 
believe  the  contessa's  account.  Her  Majesty  was 
talking  to  the  Marchesa  Valdeste. 


130         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Of  all  the  older  ladies  to  whom  she  had  been 
presented,  Nina  liked  the  marchesa  best.  Her  face 
had  the  sweet  expression  .that  can  come  only  from 
genuine  kindness  and  innate  dignity.  At  a  short 
distance  from  the  royal  box  Don  Cesare  Carpazzi 
was  talking  to  a  young  girl.  Don  Cesare's  ex- 
pression was  for  the  moment  transfigured ;  instead  of 
arrogance,  it  suggested  rather  humility ;  both  he  and 
the  young  girl  seemed  deeply  engrossed. 

Tornik  told  Nina  that  she  was  Donna  Cecilia 
Potensi,  the  little  sister-in-law  of  the  contessa  in  the 
box  opposite.  He  also  added  that  Carpazzi  was 
supposed  to  be  in  love  with  her,  and  she  with  him, 
but  they  had  not  a  lira  to  marry  on.  There  were 
no  poorer  families  in  Italy  than  the  Carpazzis  and 
the  Potensis. 

Certainly  there  was  nothing  in  the  appearance  of 
the  young  girl  to  indicate  wealth,  but  her  plain 
white  dress  with  a  bunch  of  flowers  at  her  belt,  and 
her  hair  as  simply  arranged  as  possible,  only  in- 
creased her  Madonna-like  beauty. 

Nina  was  enchanted  with  her,  and  instinctively 
compared  her  appearance  with  that  of  the  sister-in- 
law,  glittering  with  diamonds.  "  The  Contessa 
Potensi  was  a  rich  girl  in  her  own  right,  I  suppose," 
Nina  remarked  aloud. 

With  a  suspicion  of  awkwardness  Tornik  glanced 
at  Giovanni,  who  had  returned  to  the  box.  The 
latter  began  to  screw  up  his  mustache  as  he  replied 
in  Tornik's  stead.  "  The  Contessa  Potensi  inherited 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          131 

some  very  good  jewels  from  her  mother's  family,  I 
am  told." 

"  Her  mother  was  an  Austrian,  a  cousin  of  mine," 
Tornik  drawled.  "  I  never  heard  of  that  branch  of 
the  family's  having  anything  but  stubble  lands  and 
debts.  However,  it  is  evident  she  has  got  the  jewels ! 
I  felicitate  her  on  her  valuable  possessions.  Elle  a  de 
la  dhance!  "  He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  Tornik's 
detached  and  impersonal  manner  gave  no  effect  of 
insult,  and  Giovanni,  beyond  looking  annoyed,  made 
no  further  remark.  But  the  Princess  Sansevero 
interposed : 

"  Maria  Potensi  has  a  passion  for  jewels,  as  a 
child  might  have  for  toys,  and  she  accepts  them  in 
the  same  way.  She  tells  every  one  about  it  quite 
frankly ;  in  that  lies  the  proof  of  her  innocence." 

But  the  Contessa  Zoya  showed  neither  sympathy 
nor  credulity,  and  there  was  no  misinterpreting  her 
meaning  as  she  said : 

"  It  is  true,  Princess,  you  know  the  Potensi  well, 
and  I  only  slightly — but  if  my  husband  offered  a 
diamond  ornament ' 

"  He  would  never  give  her  another !  Is  that  it?  " 
put  in  Tornik. 

"  No — nor  any  one !  "  The  intensity  of  her  tone 
alarmed  Nina,  who  was  beginning  to  feel  confused  by 
the  succession  of  violent  impressions.  Scorpa,  Gio- 
vanni, Carpazzi,  Zoya  Olisco,  all  struck  such  strident 
notes  that  their  vibrations  jangled. 

Another    act    and    entr'acte   passed.      Nina    saw 


132         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Giovanni  enter  the  box  of  the  Contessa  Potensi.  In 
contrast  to  her  greeting  across  the  house,  she  seemed 
now  scarcely  to  speak  to  him.  He  talked  to  her  com- 
panion, the  Princess  Malio,  who  bobbed  her  head  and 
prattled  at  a  great  rate ;  but  as  he  left  the  box  Nina 
saw  him  lean  toward  the  Contessa  Potensi  as  though 
saying  something  in  an  undertone.  She  answered 
rapidly,  behind  her  fan.  Giovanni  inclined  his  head 
and  left. 

This  small  incident  made  a  greater  impression  on 
Nina  than  its  importance  warranted.  And  the  Con- 
tessa Potensi  occupied  her  thoughts  far  more  than 
the  various  men  who  had  come  into  the  box,  and  who 
seemed  little  more  than  so  many  varieties  of  faces 
and  shirt-fronts.  She  noticed  that  many  of  the 
older  men  wore  Father  Abraham  beards  and  clothes 
several  sizes  too  big.  On  acount  of  the  Court  Ball 
those  who  had  orders  wore  them,  frequently  so  care- 
lessly pinned  to  their  coats  that  the  decorations 
seemed  likely  to  fall  off.  The  Marchese  Valdeste — 
a  really  imposing  man — had  two  huge  ones  dangling 
from  the  flapping  lapel  of  his  coat,  and  a  sash  with 
a  bow  on  the  hip  that  would  put  any  man's  dignity  to 
a  supreme  test. 

"  The  ballet  is  very  important  to-night,"  Nina 
heard  the  marchese  saying  to  the  Princess  Sansevero. 
**  La  Favorita  is  to  appear  in  the  Birth  of  Venus. 
She  does  another  dance  first — a  Spanish  one,  I 
think." 

As  he  spoke,  the  ballet  music  had  already  begun, 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          133 

f 

and  the  Spanish  coryphees  were  twisting  and  bowing, 
and  straightening  their  spines  as  they  danced  to  the 
beat  of  their  castanettes.  Then  they  moved  aside 
for  the  ballerina. 

It  may  have  been  intended  as  a  Spanish  dance,  or 
Eastern,  or  gypsy — but  it  was  more  likely  a  dance  of 
La  Favorita's  own  imagination.  She  appeared  clad 
in  a  thin  slip  of  transparent  and  jetted  gauze.  Up- 
on her  feet  were  socks  and  ballet  slippers  of  black 
satin.  A  black  mask  covered  the  upper  part  of  her 
face,  and  her  black  hair  was  drawn  high  and  held 
with  a  diamond  bracelet ;  she  wore  a  diamond  collar, 
long  diamond  earrings,  and  the  gauze  of  her  upper 
garment — which  could  hardly  be  called  a  bodice — 
was  held  on  one  shoulder  with  a  band  of  diamonds. 
For  the  space  of  a  second  she  faced  the  audience, 
standing  still  and  rigid;  then,  with  a  quiver,  the 
rigidity  was  shattered !  A  serpent's  coiling  was  not 
more  swift  than  the  movement  of  her  dazzling,  glit- 
tering form,  which  twirled  and  turned  and  bent,  while 
the  twinkling  rapidity  of  her  steps  was  faster  than 
the  eye  could  follow.  A  twirl,  another  twirl,  a  flash 
— and  she  was  gone. 

The  coryphees,  who  had  seemingly  danced  well 
before,  were  now  so  awkward  by  comparison  that 
Nina  and  Tornik  laughed  aloud. 

"  They  look  like  cows,"  commented  Tornik. 

"  Or  nailed  to  the  ground,"  Nina  rejoined.  She 
leaned  forward,  eager  for  Favorita's  reappearance. 

To  make  a  background  for  the  second  dance,  the 


134         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

stage  hands  had  moved  in  folding  wings  or  screens  of 
sea  green.  The  calciums  had  gradually  been  turn- 
ing to  the  blue  of  moonlight,  and  now,  at  the  back 
of  the  stage,  Venus  arose,  veiled  in  a  mist  of  foam. 

Seeming  scarcely  to  touch  her  feet  to  the 
ground,  the  dancer  was  a  puff  of  the  foam  it- 
self, a  living  fragment  of  green  and  white  spray. 
She  caught  her  arms  full  of  the  sea-colored 
gauze,  like  a  great  billow  above  her  head,  and 
then  with  a  swirl  she  bent  her  body  and  drew 
the  diaphanous  film  out  sideways,  like  a  wave  that 
had  run  up  on  the  sands.  Drawing  it  together 
again,  she  seemed  to  produce  another  breaker. 

So  perfectly  was  the  fabric  handled  that  it  seemed 
exactly  like  the  spray  of  the  sea,  which,  in  its  fresh- 
ness, clung  to  her,  and  at  the  last,  by  a  wonderful 
illusion,  she  gave  the  appearance  of  having  gone 
under  the  waves. 

For  several  seconds  the  house  remained  absolutely 
hushed,  and  in  that  moment  Nina  found  herself 
vaguely  groping  through  a  confusion  of  ecstatic,  yet 
slightly  shocked,  sensations.  She  wondered  whether 
La  Favorita  had  really  nothing  on  except  a  number 
of  yards  of  tulle  which  she  held  in  her  hands. 

But  the  verdict  of  the  audience  was  voiced  by  a 
torrent  of  bravos  and  handclappings  that  thundered 
until  La  Favorita,  having  thrown  a  long  mantle 
about  her,  came  out  into  the  glare  of  the  footlights. 

She  bowed  and  kissed  her  hands,  her  smiles  of 
acknowledgment  sweeping  the  house  from  left  to 


I  (ill  THE  SPACE  OK  A  SKCOXI)  SIIK  FACED  THE  AUDIENCE. 
STANDING  STILL  AND  RIGID" 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         135 

right,  but  at  the  box  of  the  Sanseveros  her  smile 
faded,  and  she  threw  back  her  head  with  a  movement 
of  triumph. 

Nina  was  startled  into  fancying  that  she  looked 
long,  directly,  and  particularly  at  her. 


CHAPTER    XII 

A  BALL,  AT  COUBT 

r  llHE  Sansevero  party  left  the  opera  shortly 
J[  after  ten  o'clock,  and  a  little  while  later  drove 
into  the  courtyard  of  the  Quirinal.  Entering 
a  side  door,  they  ascended  a  long  staircase,  upon 
each  step  of  which  was  stationed  a  royal  cuirassier, 
all  resplendent  in  embroidered  coats,  polished  high 
boots,  and  veritable  Greek  helmets,  which  seemed  to 
add  still  further  to  their  unusual  height.  Between 
their  immovable  ranks  the  guests  thronged  up  the 
stairway  to  the  Cuirassiers'  Hall.  Here,  at  the  long 
benches  provided  for  the  purpose,  they  left  their 
wraps  in  charge  of  innumerable  flunkies  in  the  royal 
livery — which  consists  of  a  red  coat,  embroidered 
either  in  gold  or  in  silver,  powdered  hair,  blue  plush 
breeches,  and  pink  stockings. 

Nina  followed  her  aunt  and  uncle  through  an  ante- 
chamber into  the  throne  room  and  beyond  again  into 
the  vast  yellow  sola  di  ballo.  Here  also  the  cuiras- 
siers, who  were  stationed  everywhere,  added  a  martial 
dignity  to  the  splendor  of  the  scene.  The  people 
were  all  massed  against  the  sides  of  the  room;  and 
although  certain  important  personages  had  seats 
upon  the  long  red  silk  benches  placed  in  set  rows,  the 
great  majority  of  those  present  stood,  and  stood, 

136 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         137 

and  stood.  In  contrast  to  her  weary  waiting  at  the 
afternoon  reception  when,  a  few  days  before,  she  had 
been  presented  at  court,  Nina  found  so  much  to  in- 
terest her  to-night  that  she  did  not  remark  the  time. 
One  side  of  the  room  was  quite  empty  save  for  the 
big  gilt  chair  reserved  for  the  Queen,  and  the  stools 
grouped  around  it  for  ladies  in  waiting.  Three 
especial  stools  were  placed  at  the  left  of  the  queen 
for  the  three  "  collaresses  " — those  whose  husbands 
held  the  highest  order  in  Italy,  the  Grand  Collar  of 
the  Annunciation. 

It  was  the  most  brilliant  gathering  that  Nina  had 
ever  seen,  chiefly  made  so  by  the  gold-embroidered 
uniforms  and  court  orders  of  the  men.  The  dresses 
and  jewels  of  the  women  differed  very  little  from  those 
seen  at  social  functions  cL??where.  With  a  rare  ex- 
ception, such  as  the  Duchessa  Astarte  and  the  Prin- 
cess Vessano,  whose  toilettes  were  the  most  chic  imag- 
inable, the  great  ladies  of  Italy  followed  fashions 
very  little.  Not  that  Nina  found  them  dowdy — far 
from  it:  they  had  a  distinction  of  their  own,  which, 
like  that  of  their  ancient  palaces,  seemed  to  remain 
superior  to  modern  decrees  of  fashion.  Nearly  all  of 
them  had  lovely  figures,  which  they  did  not  strive 
to  force  into  newly  prescribed  outlines. 

A  remark  that  a  foreigner  in  New  York  had  made 
to  Nina  came  back  to  her,  and  she  now  realized 
its  truth.  It  was  that  the  one  great  difference  be- 
tween the  women  of  Europe  and  those  of  America 
was  that  in  Europe  one  noticed  the  women,  while  in 


138         THE    TITLE'   MARKET 

America  too  often  one  noticed  merely  the  clothes. 
The  Roman  ladies  wore  plain  princesse  dresses,  the 
majority  of  velvet  or  brocade,  and  with  little  or  no 
trimming  save  enormous  jewels  often  clumsily  set, 
but  barbarically  magnificent. 

Here  and  there,  to  Nina's  intense  interest,  she 
found,  strangely  mingled  with  the  others,  people  of 
the  provinces,  who,  because  of  distinguished  names, 
had  the  right  to  appear  at  court,  yet  who  looked  as 
though  they  were  wearing  evening  dress  for  the  first 
time  in  their  lives.  Near  by,  for  instance,  was  a 
lady  whose  rotund  person  was  buttoned  into  a  tight- 
fitting  red  velvet  basque  of  ancient  cut,  above  a 
skirt  of  pink  satin.  A  court  train,  evidently  con- 
structed out  of  curtain  material,  was  suspended  from 
her  shoulders.  Broad  gold  bracelets  clasped  her 
plump  wrists  at  the  point  where  her  gloves  termi- 
nated, and  a  high  comb  of  Etruscan  gold  orna- 
mented the  hard  knob  into  which  her  hair  was 
screwed. 

Princess  Vessano  represented  the  other  extreme — 
that  of  fashion.  She  was  in  an  Empire  "  creation  " 
of  green  liberty  satin  with  an  over-tunic  of  silver- 
embroidered  gauze.  Her  hair  was  arranged  in  a 
fillet  of  diamonds,  which  joined  a  small  banded 
coronet,  also  of  diamonds,  set  with  three  enormous 
emeralds.  Around  her  throat  she  had  a  narrow  band 
of  green  velvet  bordered  with  diamonds  and  with  a 
pendant  emerald  in  the  center  that  matched  pear- 
shaped  earrings  nearly  an  inch  long.  Yet  in  a 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          130 

crowd  of  three  thousand  persons  neither  the  grotesque 
lady  nor  the  princess  was  remarkable. 

The  crush  of  people  became  greater  and  greater 
until  it  seemed  impossible  to  admit  another  person 
without  filling  the  center  of  the  ballroom  and  the 
royal  space.  As  there  was  no  music,  the  chatter  of 
voices  made  an  insistent  humming  din.  At  last !  the 
Prefetto  di  Palazzo  sounded  three  loud  strokes,  with 
the  ferule  of  his  mace,  upon  the  floor,  the  sound  of 
voices  ceased,  the  doors  into  the  royal  apartments 
were  thrown  open,  the  band  struck  up  the  royal 
march,  and  their  Majesties  entered,  followed  by  the 
members  of  their  suite.  Every  one  made  a  deep 
reverence,  and  the  Queen  seated  herself  upon  the  gold 
chair.  The  King  stood  at  her  left.  As  soon  as  the 
Queen  had  taken  her  place,  the  dancing  commenced, 
led  by  the  Prefetto  di  Palazzo  and  the  French  am- 
bassadress. But  as  a  wide  space  before  the  Queen's 
chair  was  reserved  out  of  deference  to  their  Majes- 
ties, the  rest  of  the  ballroom  was  so  crowded  that 
dancing  was  next  to  impossible.  Presently  the  King 
made  a  tour  of  the  room — followed  always  by  two 
gentlemen  of  his  suite,  with  whom  he  stopped  contin- 
ually to  ask  who  this  person  or  that  might  be,  some- 
times speaking  to  special  guests. 

The  Queen  likewise  singled  out  certain  strangers 
of  distinction.  In  this  way  she  sent  for  a  United 
States  senator,  who  was  making  a  short  visit  in 
Rome,  and  kept  him  talking  with  her  for  a  consider- 
able time.  Her  Majesty  sat  through  the  first  waltz 


140          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

and  quadrille.  Then  she  and  the  King  promenaded 
slowly  through  the  assemblage,  speaking  to  many 
people  as  they  passed.  Some  careless  foot  went 
through  Nina's  dress,  tearing  a  great  rent,  just  as 
she  made  her  reverence  to  their  Majesties,  who  were 
approaching.  The  Queen  smiled  sympathetically 
and  held  out  her  hand  for  Nina  to  kiss,  at  the  same 
time  exclaiming  her  sympathy,  then,  quite  at  length, 
her  admiration  for  the  lovely  dress.  Nina  flushed 
with  pleasure,  feeling  that  the  damage  to  her  pret- 
tiest frock  had  been  more  than  repaid. 

Giovanni  was  standing  with  Nina  at  the  time,  and 
after  their  Majesties  had  passed,  he  looked  quiz- 
zically at  the  torn  hem  that  Nina  held  in  her  hand. 
"  Is  it  altogether  spoiled  ?  " 

Nina  laughed.  "  If  I  were  sentimental,  I  should 
keep  it  always  in  tatters  in  memory  of  the  Queen !  " 

"  But  as  you  are  not  sentimental — I  hope  it  can 
be  mended.  May  I  tell  you  that  her  Majesty's  ad- 
miration was  well  deserved?  It  is  a  most  charming 
costume  and  not  too  elaborate.  The  touch  of  silver 
in  the  dress  is  just  enough  to  go  with  the  silver  fillet 
over  your  hair.  White  is  seldom  becoming  to 
blondes,  but  it  suits  you  admirably." 

She  looked  up,  frankly  pleased.  "  It  is  nice, 
really?  I  am  so  glad!  "  She  was  perfectly  happy, 
and  her  smile  showed  it.  The  whole  evening  had 
been  delightful.  The  disagreeable  impressions  made 
by  the  Contessa  Potensi  and  Favorita  were  forgotten 
as  she  danced  with  Giovanni,  who  performed  a  feat 


THE    TITLE    MARKET 

of  rare  ability  in  finding  a  passage  through  the 
crush. 

Presently  he  said  to  her,  "  When  their  Majesties 
have  gone  into  an  adjoining  room,  then  the  rest  of 
us  can  go  to  supper." 

As  he  spoke,  Nina  saw  them  disappear  through  the 
doorway.  "  Are  they  not  coming  back?  "  she  asked. 

"  No.     They  have  gone." 

"  But  do  they  never  dance?  " 

"  Never !  Queen  Margherita  and  King  Humbert 
always  opened  the  ball  by  the  quadrille  d'honneur, 
with  the  ambassadors  and  important  court  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  But  the  present  King  abolished  all 
that." 

At  the  end  of  the  waltz  Tornik  managed  to  find 
Nina  and  announced  supper.  In  the  stampede  for 
food  there  was  such  a  crush  that  people  stepped  on 
her  slippers  and  literally  swept  up  the  floor  with  her 
train.  Tornik,  being  a  giant,  and  able  to  reach 
over  any  number  of  smaller  persons,  finally  secured  a 
pate  and  an  ice.  Standing  near  her,  two  young 
men  were  stuffing  cakes  and  sandwiches  into  their 
pockets.  Amazed,  she  drew  Tornik's  attention.  He 
shrugged  his  shoulders.  "Who  are  they?"  she 
whispered.  "  Princes,  for  all  I  know,"  was  his  re- 
joinder. "  Poor  devils,  many  of  them  never  get  such 
a  feast  as  this." 


CHAPTER    XIII 

CORONETS    FOR    SALE 

A  CORDING    to     Italian     etiquette,     strangers 
must   leave    cards   within    twenty-four   hours 
upon  every  person  to  whom  they  have  been 
introduced.     Therefore   the   afternoon    of   the   day 
following   the  ball   was   necessarily   spent  by   Nina 
in   three   hours    of   steady   driving   from   house   to 
house.     Finally,  as  she  and  the  princess  were  alight- 
ing at  the  Palazzo  Sansevero,  Count  Tornik  drove 
into  the  courtyard,  and  together  they  mounted  to 
the  apartments  used  by  the  family. 

Nina  settled  herself  in  the  corner  of  a  sofa,  pull- 
ing off  her  gloves.  Tornik  dropped  into  a  loose- 
jointed  heap  in  a  big  chair  opposite.  Suddenly  he 
sat  up  straight,  his  eyebrows  lifted. 

"  I  did  not  know !  "  he  said.  "  May  I  felicitate 
you,  mademoiselle?  " 

"  On  what?  "  she  asked,  puzzled. 

"  Since  you  wear  a  ring,  it  is  evident  that  your 
engagement  is  to  be  announced.  Will  you  tell  me 
who  is  the  fortunate  man  ?  " 

She  saw  that  he  was  gazing  at  the  emerald  she 
wore  on  her  little  finger.  "  Is  there  reason  to  think 
I  am  engaged — because  of  this?  " 

142 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          143 

"  Certainly,  what  else?  A  young  girl's  wearing 
a  ring  can  mean  but  one  thing." 

"On  my  little  finger?  How  ridiculous!  My 
father  gave  it  to  me.  Sometimes,  at  home,  I  wear 
several  rings.  Does  that  mean  I  am  engaged  to 
several  men  ?  " 

"  Then  you  are  still  free?  " 

He  hesitated  as  though  under  an  impulse  to  say 
something  sentimental,  then  apparently  changed  his 
mind,  and  relapsed  into  his  habitually  detached  in- 
difference of  manner. 

"  They  have  curious  customs  in  your  country," 
he  said  casually.  "  A  friend  of  mine  was  in  America 
last  year.  He  told  me  many  things ! " 

"  Did  he?     What,  for  instance?  " 

"  He  said  that  the  women  sat  in  chairs  that  bal- 
anced back  and  forth " 

"  Chairs  that '  she  interrupted.  "  Oh,  you 

mean  rocking-chairs !  That's  true,  you  don't  have 
them  over  here,  do  you?  I  did  not  mean  to  inter- 
rupt. You  said  we  rock " 

"  Not  you,  it's  the  older  women  who  balance  all 
day  on  verandas,  and  let  their  daughters  do  what- 
ever they  please !  In  an  American  family,  I  am  told, 
the  young  girl  is  supreme  ruler.  Is  that  true?  " 

Nina,  laughing,  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  I 
don't  know — I  never  thought  about  it!  But  over 
here  I  suppose  a  girl  does  not  count  at  all?  Tell 
me,  according  to  your  ideas,  what  her  place  should 
be." 


144          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  Oh,  I  do  not  say  should.  I  merely  state  the 
fact:  over  here,  a  young  girl  plays  a  very  small 
role.  But  then,  for  the  matter  of  that,  most  people 
belong  naturally  in  the  background,  and  very  few, 
whether  they  are  women  or  men,  have  their  names 
on  the  program." 

"  And  you  ?     What  part  do  you  play  ?  " 

For  a  moment  his  eyes  gleamed.  "  That  depends 
upon  whether  fate  shall  cast  me  to  support  a  diva 
or  to  occupy  an  empty  stage." 

"  And  if  fate  allowed  you  to  choose,  I  could 
easily  imagine  that  you  would  prefer  a  part  with 
very  little  action  and  as  few  lines  as  possible." 

"  You  are  quite  wrong.  I  do  not  object  to  saying 
all  that  a  part  calls  for,  and,  above  all,  I  like  action." 

"  That's  true ;  I  had  forgotten !  You  are  a  sol- 
dier! I  wonder  why  you  went  into  the  army?  " 

"  It  is  the  only  career  open  to  me." 

Nina  was  thinking  of  Giovanni  and  his  point  of 
view  as  she  asked,  "  Why  are  you  not  content  to 
be  merely  Count  Tornik?  " 

"  You  mean  that  I,  like  Carpazzi,  should  live  on 
the  illustriousness  of  my  name?  If  I  were  very 
poor,  perhaps  I  should." 

"  How  curious  !  "  Nina  exclaimed.  "  Does  not  a 
career  mean  making  money  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,  it  means  spending  it !  One 
must  have  a  great  deal  of  money  to  go  to  any 
height  in  diplomacy." 

"  Then  you  are  rich?  "     Nina  already  had  ac- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          145 

quired  a  brutal  frankness  of  direct  interrogation 
through  her  Italian  sojourn. 

*'  Not  exactly."  He  look  bored  again.  "  But  I 
have  a  little — though  perhaps  not  enough  for  my 
ambition.  If  only  there  were  a  serious  war,  I'd  have 
a  good  chance."  Then  he  added  simply,  "  I  am  a 
good  soldier ! " 

The  princess,  who  had  been  summoned  to  the 
telephone,  now  returned  and  seated  herself  beside 
Nina  on  the  sofa.  "  I  have  just  been  talking  with 
the  Marchesa  Valdeste,  and  she  told  me  that  the 
Queen  said  most  gracious  things  of  you,  dear ;  called 
you  the  *  charming  little  American.' "  The  prince 
entered  while  the  princess  was  speaking.  He  kissed 
his  wife's  hand  and  began,  at  great  length,  to  tell 
her  exactly  where  and  how  he  had  spent  the  after- 
noon. After  a  while,  however,  as  one  or  two  other 
friends  dropped  in,  Sansevero  talked  aside  with 
Tornik. 

"  You  were  not  at  Savini's  last  night,  were  you?  " 
he  asked. 

Tornik  looked  interested.  "  No,"  he  said,  "  but 
I  hear  they  had  a  very  high  game." 

"  Yes.  Young  Allegro  was  practically  cleaned 
out." 

"Who  won?" 

"  Who,  indeed,  but  Scorpa !  He  has  the  luck, 
that  man ! " 

"  Were  you  there  ?  I  thought  you  never  played 
any  more ;  have  you  taken  it  up  again  ?  " 


146         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Sansevero,  glancing  apprehensively  at  his  wife, 
answered  quickly,  "  I  never  play."  Fortunately, 
just  then  the  dangerous  conversation  was  ended  by 
the  arrival  of  the  Contessa  Potensi.  She  smiled 
graciously  upon  the  prince  as  he  pressed  her  hand 
to  his  lips,  and  bestowed  the  left-over  remnant  of 
the  same  smile,  upon  Tornik.  She  also  kissed  the  air 
on  either  side  of  the  princess  with  much  affection, 
and  shook  hands  cordially  with  two  other  ladies  who 
were  present,  but  she  directed  toward  Nina  the  barest 
glance. 

She  and  Nina,  by  the  way,  furnished  at  the  mo- 
ment a  typical  illustration  of  the  difference  in  ap- 
pearance between  European  and  American  women. 

The  contessa  was  wearing  an  untrimmed,  black 
tailor-made  costume  with  a  very  long  train,  a  little 
fur  toque  to  match  a  small  neck  piece,  and  a  little 
sausage-shaped  muff.  Her  diamond  earrings  were 
enormous,  but  not  very  good  stones.  Nina's  dress 
was  of  raspberry  cloth,  cut  in  the  latest  exaggera- 
tion of  fashion — her  skirt  was  short  and  skimp  as 
her  hat  was  huge.  Her  muff  of  sables  as  big  and 
soft  as  a  pillow — she  could  easily  have  buried  her 
arms  in  it  to  the  shoulder.  The  elaborateness  of 
Nina's  clothes  filled  the  contessa  with  satisfaction, 
for  she  thought  them  barbarously  inappropriate,  and 
she  knew  that  Giovanni  was  a  martinet  so  far  as 
"  fitness  "  went. 

Presently,  in  spite  of  her  more  than  rude  greet- 
ing, she  coolly  sat  down  beside  Nina.  "  Will  you 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          147 

make  me  a  cup  of  tea?  I  like  it  without  sugar  and 
with  very  little  cream."  She  did  not  smile,  and 
she  did  not  say  "  please."  Her  bearing  was  a  fair 
example  of  the  cold,  impersonal  insolence  of  which 
Italian  women  of  fashion  are  capable  when 
antagonistic. 

After  a  time  she  leaned  over  and  scrutinized 
Nina's  watch,  as  though  it  were  in  a  show  case. 
"  Do  many  young  girls  in  America  wear  jewels?  " 

Nina  found  herself  congealing;  instead  of  an- 
swering, she  handed  the  contessa  her  tea,  and  ex- 
pressed a  hope  that  she  had  not  put  in  too  much 
cream. 

Taking  no  notice  of  Nina's  evasion,  the  contessa, 
talking  indiscriminately  about  people,  arrived  finally 
at  the  subject  of  Giovanni.  In  her  opinion,  the 
Marchese  di  Valdo  ought  to  marry  money  I  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  she  feared  he  had  loved  too  many 
women  to  be  capable  now  of  caring  for  one  alone. 
From  this  she  went  to  generalities.  A  man  had  but 
one  grand  passion  in  a  lifetime,  didn't  Nina  think 
so? 

Nina's  thoughts  were  very  hazy,  indeed,  about 
grand  passions,  which  were  associated  dimly  in  her 
mind  with  the  seven  deadly  sins — in  the  category  of 
things  one  didn't  speak  of.  So  she  answered 
vaguely,  feeling  like  a  stupid  child  being  cross- 
examined  by  the  school  commissioner. 

"  Still,  he  is  very  attractive,  don't  you  find? 
Of  course,  he  says  the  same  things  to  all  of  us — 


148         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

but  then  no  one  understands  how  to  make  love  as 
well  as  he,  so  what  does  it  matter  whether  he  means 
it  or  not?  It  takes  a  woman  of  great  experience," 
insinuated  the  contessa,  "  to  parry  Giovanni's  fenc- 
ing with  the  foils  of  love." 

Nina  was  goaded  into  answering.  "  You  seem 
to  know  a  great  deal  about  his  love-making,"  she 
said  at  last,  with  the  breathy  calm  of  controlled 
temper. 

Half  shutting  her  eyes,  the  contessa  replied :  "  It 
is  common  hearsay.  One  has  only  to  follow  the 
list  of  his  conquests  to  know  that  he  must  be  a 
past  master  in  the  art  of  making  women  care  for 
him.  That  he  is  fickle  is  evident;  he  is  constantly 
changing  his  attentions  from  one  woman  to  another, 
and  leaving  with  a  crisis  of  the  heart  her  whom  he 
has  lately  adored.  I  am  sorry  for  the  woman  he 
marries — still,  perhaps  she  would  not  know  the  dif- 
ference! He  might  even  be  devoted,  from  force  of 
habit." 

Nina,  furious,  told  herself  that  she  did  not  be- 
lieve one  word  that  this  spiteful  woman  was  saying, 
but  it  made  an  impression  all  the  same,  which  was, 
of  course,  exactly  what  the  contessa  wanted. 

"  Tornik,  too,  needs  a  fortune  badly,"  Maria  Po- 
tensi  went  on  piercing  neatly.  "  It  is  hard,  over 
here  with  us,  that  men  acquire  fortunes  only  by 
marriage.  In  America,  it  must  be  better,  for 
there  they  can  earn  their  money,  and  marry  for 
love." 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          149 

Nina  felt  her  cheeks  burn  as  she  listened,  but 
there  was  nothing  she  could  say.  She  knew  only 
too  well  how  hard  it  would  be  to  believe  herself 
loved. 

But  not  all  of  the  women  were  like  the  Contessa 
Potensi,  and  by  the  time  Nina  had  been  a  month  in 
Rome,  she  had,  with  the  responsiveness  of  youth, 
formed  several  friendships  that  were  rapidly  drift- 
ing into  intimacies,  though  she  chose  as  her  asso- 
ciates, for  the  most  part,  young  married  women 
rather  than  girls.  Her  particular  friend  was  Zoya 
Olisco,  really  six  months  younger  than  herself,  but  of 
a  precocious  worldly  experience  that  gave  her  at 
least  ten  years'  advantage. 

The  young  girls  were  to  Nina  quite  incompre- 
hensible. Their  curiously  negative  behavior  in  pub- 
lic, their  self-conscious  diffidence,  seemed  to  her  stu- 
pid; but  their  education  filled  her  with  envy  and 
shame.  Nearly  all  spoke  several  languages,  not  in 
her  own  fashion  of  broken  French,  broken  German, 
and  baby-talk  Italian,  but  with  perfect  facility  and 
correctness  of  grammar.  Nearly  all  were  thor- 
oughly grounded  in  mathematics,  history,  literature, 
and  science.  And  yet  their  whole  attitude  toward 
life  seemed  out  of  balance ;  they  were  like  pedagogues 
never  out  of  the  schoolroom — one  moment  discours- 
ing learnedly,  the  next  prattling  like  little  children. 
The  end  and  aim  of  life  to  them  was  marriage.  Each 
talked  of  her  dot  and  of  what  it  might  buy  her 
in  the  way  of  a  husband,  very  much  as  girls  in 


150         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

America  might  plan  the  spending  of  their  Christ- 
mas money. 

In  spite  of  the  unusual  liberty  allowed  Nina,  as  an 
American,  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  was  very  re- 
stricted. She  had,  for  instance,  suggested  that  they 
ask  Carpazzi  to  dine  with  them  alone  and  go  to 
the  opera.  But  the  princess  had  said,  "  Impossible. 
Carpazzi,  finding  no  one  but  the  family,  would 
naturally  suppose  we  wish  to  arrange  a  marriage 
between  you." 

Marry  Carpazzi !  It  was  ridiculous ;  she  never 
had  heard  of  such  customs !  "  Well,  then,  why  not 
ask  Tornik?"  she  suggested.  "He  is  not  an 
Italian."  The  princess  demurred.  It  might  be  pos- 
sible to  ask  Tornik — still  it  was  better  not.  Unless 
Nina  wanted  to  marry  Tornik?  Apparently  there 
was  little  use  in  pursuing  this  subject  further,  so 
she  laughed  and  gave  it  up. 

They  were  in  the  princess's  room,  at  the  time,  and 
Nina,  dressed  for  the  street,  was  pulling  on  new 
gloves  of  fawn-colored  suede.  Her  brown  velvet  and 
fox  furs,  her  big  hat  with  a  fox  band  fastened  with 
an  osprey,  were  all  that  the  modeste's  art  could 
achieve. 

The  princess  fastened  a  little  yellow  mink  collar 
around  her  throat  over  her  black  cloth  dress,  selected 
the  better  of  two  pairs  of  cleaned  white  kid  gloves, 
picked  up  her  hard,  round,  little  yellow  muff,  and 
then  went  over  and  sat  on  the  sofa  beside  Nina. 
"  By  the  way,  darling,  I  have  something  to  say  to 


151 

you.  The  Marchese  Valdeste  has  approached  your 
uncle  in  regard  to  a  marriage  between  his  son  Carlo 
and  you.  Not  being  an  Italian,  I  suppose  you  want 
to  give  your  answer  yourself.  What  do  you  say?  " 

"  What  do  I  say ! "  Nina's  eyes  and  mouth 
opened  together.  "  Why,  I  have  never  seen  the 
man!" 

The  princess  smiled.  "  The  offer  is  made  in  the 
same  way  in  which  it  would  be  if  you  were  an 
Italian.  Your  parents  not  being  here,  I  ask  you  in 
their  stead — or  as  I  might  ask  you  if  you  were  a 
widow.  To  begin,  then, — no,  I  am  perfectly  in 
earnest — I  am  authorized  to  offer  you  a  young  man 
of  unquestionable  birth.  He  has  in  his  own  right 
three  castles.  Two  will  need  a  great  deal  of  repair, 
but  one  is  in  excellent  condition  and  contains  three 
hundred  rooms,  more  than  half  of  which  are  fur- 
nished. He  has  an  annual  income  of  twenty  thousand 
lire  and  no — debts !  That  he  is  fairly  good-looking, 
medium-sized,  has  black  hair  and  brown  eyes,  and 
is  said  to  have  a  very  amiable  disposition,  are 
details." 

As  the  princess  concluded,  Nina  added :  "  And 
he  has  also  a  most  charming  mother.  My  answer  is 
— my  regret  that  I  cannot  marry  her  instead." 

"  You  are  sure  you  do  not  care  to  consider  this 
offer?" 

Nina  looked  steadily  into  her  aunt's  eyes.  "  I  am 
sure  you  married  Uncle  Sandro  through  no  such 
courtship  as  this  !  " 


152         THE   TITLE   MARKET 

"  I  did  not  think  you  would  accept,  my  dear 
child;  yet  such  marriages  often  turn  out  for  the 
best — at  least  it  was  my  duty  to  ask  for  your  an- 
swer. You  have  given  it — and  now  let  us  go  out. 
The  carriage  has  been  waiting  some  time." 

Shortly  afterward  they  were  in  the  Pincio — for 
the  custom  still  prevails  among  Roman  ladies  and 
gentlemen  of  slowly  driving  up  and  down  or  stand- 
ing for  a  chat  with  friends.  The  dome  of  St. 
Peter's  looked  like  a  globe  of  gold  set  in  the  center 
of  the  celebrated  frame  of  the  Pincio  trees,  but  as 
the  sun  went  down  it  grew  chilly,  and  the  Sansevero 
landau  rolled  briskly  up  the  Corso.  At  Nina's  sug- 
gestion they  stopped  at  a  tea  shop. 

No  sooner  were  they  seated  at  a  little  table  when 
they  were  joined  by  the  Duchess  Astarte.  The 
duchess  had  most  graceful  manners,  but  she  talked 
to  the  princess  across  Nina,  and  about  her,  as  though 
she  were  an  article  of  furniture,  or  at  least  a  small 
child  who  could  not  understand  what  was  said.  She 
spoke  frankly  of  Nina's  suitors.  Scorpa's  was  an 
excellent  title,  but  Scorpa  was  a  widower  and  no 
longer  young.  Then  she  begged  the  princess  to  con- 
sider her  nephew,  the  young  Prince  Allegro. 

It  would  be  a  brilliant  match,  for  he  was  one  of 
the  mediatized  princes  and  ranked  with  royalty. 
But  his  properties  took  such  an  immense  amount  of 
money  to  keep  up  that  an  added  fortune  would  be 
a  great  relief  to  the  whole  family.  Her  consummate 
naturalness  did  away  with  much  of  the  bluntness  of 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          153 

her  speech;  but  even  so,  this  was  too  much  for 
Nina's  calmness. 

"  But,  Duchessa,"  she  broke  in,  "  have  the  Prince 
Allegro  and  I  nothing  to  do  with  the  arranging  of 
our  own  future  ?  " 

The  duchess  observed  her  in  as  much  astonish- 
ment as  though  a  baby  of  six  months  had  broken 
into  the  conversation.  A  moment  or  two  elapsed  be- 
fore she  said  smoothly :  "  Oh,  the  Prince  is  enchanted 
at  the  idea.  He  danced  with  you  at  Court  and  finds 
you  molto  simpatica.  It  is  a  great  name,  my  dear, 
that  he  has  to  offer  you "  and  then  with  a  con- 
descension, yet  a  courteousness  that  prevented  of- 
fense :  "  We  shall  all  be  willing,  nay,  delighted,  to 
receive  you  with  open  arms.  Your  position  will  be  in 
every  way  as  though  you  had  been  born  into  the 
nobility." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Nina  quietly,  "  but  I  don't 
think  I  am  quite  used  to  the  European  marriage  of 
arrangement." 

"  Ah,  but  it  need  not  be  a  marriage  of  arrange- 
ment. If  you  will  permit  Allegro  to  pay  his  ad- 
dresses to  you,  he  will  consider  himself  the  most  for- 
tunate of  men.  May  I  tell  him  ?  " 

"  Please  not ! "  said  Nina.  Quite  at  bay,  she 
longed  wildly  for  some  means  of  escape.  To  her  re- 
lief, two  Americans  whom  she  knew,  young  Mrs. 
Davis  and  her  sister,  entered  the  shop.  Nina  rose 
abruptly,  apologizing  to  the  duchess,  and  ran  to 
them.  How  long  had  they  been  in  Rome?  Where 


154          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

were  they  stopping?  What  was  the  news  from  New 
York?  They  told  her  all  they  could  think  of.  The 
Tony  Suarts  had  a  son — they  thought  it  the  only 
baby  that  had  ever  been  born;  and  as  for  old  Mr. 
Stuart,  he  was  nearly  insane  with  joy.  Billy  Rivers 
had  lost  every  cent  of  his  money ;  and  then — but,  of 
course,  Nina  had  heard  about  John  Derby. 

In  her  fear  that  some  accident  had  happened  to 
him,  Nina's  heart  seemed  to  miss  two  beats.  But 
Mrs.  Davis  merely  meant  his  success  in  mining.  By 
the  way,  she  had  seen  him  in  New  York,  as  she  was 
driving  to  the  steamer.  He  was  striding  up  Fifth 
Avenue,  and  was  "  too  good-looking  for  words." 

The  princess  was  leaving  the  shop  and,  as  Nina 
followed  her  into  the  carriage,  her  mind  was  full  of 
Derby.  It  was  very  strange — she  had  had  a  letter 
the  day  before  from  Arizona,  in  which  John  had  said 
nothing  about  going  to  New  York.  Then  she  re- 
membered that  her  father  had  hinted  at  a  possibility 
that  John  might  be  sent  to  Italy  later  in  the  winter. 
Her  pulse  quickened  at  the  thought,  but  with  no 
consciousness  of  sentiment  deepened  or  changed  by 
absence. 

Arrived  at  the  palace,  she  found  a  note  from  Zoya 
Olisco,  who  was  coming  to  spend  the  next  day  with 
her.  Nina  handed  the  note  to  the  princess.  "  I 
thought  we  could  go  out  in  the  car  and  lunch  some- 
where. Or  is  it  not  allowed  ?  "  Her  eyes  twinkled 
as  she  questioned. 

"  That   depends,"   the  princess    answered   in   the 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          155 

same  spirit,  "  upon  whether  you  are  counting  upon 
including  me.  I  am  a  very  disagreeable  tyrant 
when  it  comes  to  being  left  out  of  a  party." 

The  automobile  in  question  was  Nina's.  She  had 
wanted  one,  and  with  her  "  to  want  "  meant  "  to 
get."  Nearly  every  one  thought  it  belonged  to  the 
princess,  as  it  would  not  have  occurred  to  many  in 
Rome  to  suppose  it  was  owned  by  a  young  girl. 

That  night  another  extravagance  of  Nina's  came 
to  light.  In  the  morning  they  had  been  at  an  ex- 
hibition of  furs  brought  to  Rome  by  a  Russian 
dealer.  Among  them  was  a  set  of  superb  sables, 
and  Nina,  throwing  the  collar  around  her  aunt's 
shoulders,  had  exclaimed  at  their  becomingness. 

The  princess  unconsciously  stroked  the  furs  as  she 
put  them  down.  "  I  have  never  seen  anything  more 
lovely,"  she  said  wistfully,  and  with  no  idea  that  she 
had  sighed.  A  sable  collar  and  muff  had  been  one 
of  the  desired  things  of  her  life,  but  it  was  utterly 
impossible  now  to  think  of  so  much  as  one  skin,  and 
in  the  piece  and  muff  in  question  there  were  more 
than  thirty. 

That  evening,  upon  their  return,  the  princess 
found  the  furs  in  her  room  when  she  went  to  dress. 
At  first  she  felt  that  they  were  too  much  to  accept, 
but  when  Nina's  hazel  eyes  implored,  and  her  lips 
begged  her  aunt  to  take  "just  one  present  to  re- 
member her  by,"  the  princess  for  once  gave  free 
reign  to  her  emotions  and  was  as  wildly  delighted  as 
a  child. 


156         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

The  very  next  afternoon,  however,  Scorpa  saw  the 
sables,  and  on  a  slip  of  paper  made  the  following 
note  : 

Sables    80,000  lire 

60  H.  P.  motor  car 30,000  lire 

With  a  smile  that  would  have  done  no  discredit  to 
his  Satanic  Majesty,  he  put  the  paper  in  his  pocket. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

APPLES  OF   SODOM 

T  amounts  to  this :  do  you  take  a  fitting  interest 
in  the  name  you  bear,  or  do  you  not?  "  San- 
severo  was  the  speaker,  and  beneath  his  usual 
volubility  there  was  an  unwonted  eagerness.  The 
two  brothers  were  in  Giovanni's  apartment  on  the 
second  floor,  which  in  Roman  palaces  usually  belongs 
to  the  eldest  son,  and  Giovanni  sat  astride  a  chair, 
his  arms  crossed  over  the  back. 

"  I  don't  think  you  can  ask  such  a  question,"  he 
retorted  hotly.  "  I  am  as  much  a  Sansevero  as 
you !  But  I  really  see  no  reason  why — just  because 
you  have  got  a  notion  in  your  head  that  a  pile  of 
gold  dollars  would  look  well  in  our  strong  box — 
I  should  tie  myself  up  for  life.  I  am  well  enough 
as  I  am.  My  income  is  not  regal,  but  it  suffices." 

Sansevero,  like  many  talkative  persons,  was  too 
busy  thinking  of  what  he  was  going  to  say  next 
himself,  to  listen  attentively  to  his  brother's  re- 
sponses. He  was  merely  aware  that  Giovanni's  man- 
ner proclaimed  opposition,  so,  when  the  sound  of  his 
voice  ceased,  Sansevero  continued :  "  Nina  is  all 
the  most  fastidious  could  ask.  Noblesse  oblige — 
are  you  going  to  keep  our  name  among  the  great- 
est in  Rome,  or  are  you  going  to  let  it  fall  like  that 

157 


158         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

of  the  Carpazzi?  Shall  they  say  of  us  in  the  near 
future,  as  they  say  of  them  to-day :  *  Ah,  yes,  the 
Sanseveros  were  a  great  family  once,  but  they  are 
all  dead  or  beggared  now  '  ?  " 

"  Per  Diol  What  an  orator  we  are  becoming !  " 
mocked  Giovanni,  looking  out  of  half -shut  eyes  like 
a  cat.  But  after  a  moment,  also  like  a  cat,  he 
opened  them  wide  and  stared  coolly  at  his  brother. 
"  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes "  he  said  imper- 
tinently. "  My  child,  thou  hast  spoken  much  wis- 
dom! It  is,  after  all,  a  proposition  that  has,  pos- 
sibly, sense  in  it.  La  Nina  is  a  woman  such  as  any 
man  might  be  glad  to  make  his  wife,  and  yet — this 
very  fact  that  she  is  not  an  insignificant  personality, 
is  what  I  object  to!  I  doubt  her  developing  into 
either  a  blinded  saint  or  a  coquette  with  amiable  com- 
placence for  others.  We  should  lead  a  peppery  life, 
I  fear.  But  don't  you  think,  my  brother,  that  we 
are  a  bit  hysterical  over  our  family's  extermination  ? 
After  all,  I  am  only  twenty-eight ;  and  in  my  opinion 
thirty-five  is  a  suitable  age  for  a  man  to  marry. 
How  old  are  you,  Sandro — thirty-seven,  is  it  not? 
And  Leonora  is  nearly  three  years  less.  Of  a  truth, 
you  are  young !  " 

He  rested  his  cheek  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand, 
looking  up  sideways.  "  It  would  be  a  great  amuse- 
ment if  I  should  marry  because  I  am  the  heir  to  the 
estates,  and  then  you  should  have  a  large  family — 

so "  He  made  steps  with  his  unoccupied  hand  to 

indicate  a  succession  of  children.  Then  he  laughed, 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          159 

without  seeming  to  consider  the  difference  that  the 
birth  of  an  heir  to  his  brother  would  make  to  him- 
self. He  arose,  lit  a  cigarette,  and,  smoking,  threw 
himself  into  an  easy  chair  on  the  other  side  of  the 
room.  The  great  Dane,  which  had  been  lying  be- 
side him  as  usual,  now  slowly  got  up,  crossed  the 
room,  and  dropped  down  again  at  his  master's  feet. 

Meanwhile  the  prince,  hands  in  pockets,  had  un- 
accountably become  as  silent  as  he  had  before  been 
talkative,  and  Giovanni,  upon  observing  his  brother's 
sulky  expression,  leaned  forward. 

"Well?"  he  questioned,  with  a  new  ring  in  his 
voice,  for  Sansevero's  moodiness  was  never  a  good 
omen.  "  What  are  you  thinking  of?  Come,  say  it !  " 

Sansevero  paced  the  length  of  the  room  and  back ; 
then  he  burst  out :  "  Very  well,  it  is  this — every- 
thing is  as  bad  as  can  be — so  bad  that  if  you  don't 
marry  money,  and  at  once,  the  Sansevero  burial  will 
take  place  before  you  and  I  are  dead.  Nome  di  Dio! 
how  are  we  to  live  with  no  money  ?  " 

"  Since  you  ask  my  opinion,  I  have  long  wondered 
why  you  do  not  live  better  than  you  do,"  Giovanni 
answered.  "  Your  income,  added  to  Leonora's 
money,  must  make  a  very  handsome  sum.  But  one 
of  the  faults  of  the  American  women  is  that  they 
are  seldom  good  managers.  Leonora  is  either  no 
exception  to  the  rule — or  else  she  is  getting  very 
miserly.  Why,  an  Italian  on  Leonora's  income 
would  live  like  a  queen !  " 

"  Be  silent !  "     Sansevero,  flushing  darkly,  flamed 


160         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

into  speech.  "  Before  you  dare  to  criticise  the 
woman  who  adorns  our  house !  Here  is  the  truth  for 
you:  I  haven't  one  cent  of  private  fortune — I 
gambled  it  all  away  long  ago !  More  than  half  of 
Leonora's  money  is  lost — I  lost  it.  Some  of  it  she 
paid  out  for  my  debts ;  the  greater  portion  I  put  into 
the  *  Little  Devil '  mine.  I  might  much  better  have 
shoveled  it  into  the  Tiber.  Do  you  know  what  she 
has  done — the  woman  whom  you  criticise  as  a  bad 
manager  and  stigmatize  as  mean — I  would  not  care 
what  you  said,  if  you  had  not  thought  Leonora 
mean !  Dio  mio,  MEAN  !  Know,  then,  that  the  very 
jewels  she  wears  are  false;  that  the  real  ones  have 
been  sold — to  pay  the  debts  of  the  man  standing 
before  you — the  gambling  debts  of  the  head  of  one 
of  the  noblest  houses  in  Italy ! " 

Giovanni  was  deeply  moved,  for  this  was  a  wound 
in  his  one  vulnerable  point,  his  pride  of  birth.  The 
cigarette  dropped  to  the  floor  unheeded.  He 
moistened  his  lips  as  Alessandro  continued: 

"  They  were  Leonora's  own  jewels  that  were  sold, 
mark  you.  The  Sansevero  heirlooms  will  go  to 
your  son's  wife  intact,  as  they  came  to  mine!  But 
that  is  not  all:  I  have  given  my  oath  to  Leonora 
never  again  to  go  into  a  game  of  chance,  and  really 
I  want  to  keep  it!  Yet  you  know — no,  you  don't; 
no  one  can  who  hasn't  the  fever  in  his  veins — if  I 
see  a  game,  it  is  as  though  an  unseen  force  had  me  in 
its  grip,  drawing  me  against  my  will ;  I  can't  resist ! 
At  Savini's  I  was  dining,  and  I  did  not  know  they 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         161 

were  going  to  play — I  won  a  very  little;  enough  to 
pay  the  interest  on  what  I  owe  Meyer.  But  it  makes 
me  cold  all  over  to  think — if  I  had  lost!  An  en- 
viable inheritance  you  will  get,  when  it  is  known 
what  a  mess  of  things  the  present  holder  of  the  title 
has  made  1 "  He  dropped  into  a  chair  opposite  his 
brother,  and  buried  his  face  in  his  hands;  between 
his  slim  fingers  his  forehead  looked  dark,  and  his 
temple  veins  swollen.  For  a  long  time  Giovanni 
sat  immovable,  staring  fixedly,  but  when  at  last  he 
broke  the  silence,  he  spoke  almost  lightly: 

"  It  is  not  a  very  charming  history  that  you  have 
given  me — even  though  it  increases  my  admiration 
for  the  woman  who  has,  it  seems,  been  more  worthy 
of  the  name  she  bears  than  has  the  man  who  con- 
ferred his  titles  upon  her.  I  wish  you  had  told 
me  before."  Then,  with  a  queerly  whimsical  smile, 
he  said  musingly :  "  To  marry  the  girl  with  the 
golden  hair — and  purse?  Not  such  a  terrible  fate 
to  look  forward  to,  after  all!  She  would  demand  a 
great  deal,  and  I  should  have  to  keep  the  brakes 
on.  Still — that  would  do  me  no  harm!  You  look 
as  though  you  had  been  down  a  sulphur  mine. 
Come,  cheer  up — all  may  yet  be  well."  Suddenly 
he  laughed  out  loud.  "  Funny  thing,"  he  observed 
further — "  you  know,  I  am  not  so  sure  that  I  am 
not  rather  in  love." 

He  leaned  to  St.  Anthony,  and,  putting  his  hand 
through  the  dog's  collar  beneath  the  throat,  lifted 
the  head  on  the  back  of  his  wrist.  "  Tell  me,  padre, 


162         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

am  I  in  love?  Do  you  advise  the  marriage?  "  The 
dog  put  his  paw  up,  fanned  the  air  once  in  missing, 
and  let  it  rest  on  his  master's  knee. 

Giovanni    laughed    aloud    "  Ecco!    Sandro,    he 
consents ! " 


CHAPTER    XV 

AN  OPPOSITION  BOOTH  IS  SET  UP  IN  THE 
MARKET   PLACE 

WHILE  Sansevero  and  Giovanni  were  in  their 
imaginations  refurbishing  their  escutcheon, 
two  other  men,  with  the  opposite  intent, 
stood  on  the  front  steps  of  the  agency  of  "  Thomas 
Cook  and  Sons."  One  was  proclaimed  by  the  regu- 
lation "  Cook's  "  badge  on  his  cap  to  be  a  guide ; 
the  other,  by  his  military  cloak,  might  have  been 
recognized  as  an  official  of  the  Italian  government. 
Both  had  shown  covert  interest  in  the  Princess  San- 
severo, who,  looking  particularly  lovely  in  her  mag- 
nificent set  of  sables,  had  crossed  the  sidewalk  with 
the  light,  buoyant  carriage  characteristic  of  her. 

"  There,  you  may  see  for  yourself  if  it  is  I  who 
speak  the  truth."  This  was  said  by  the  guide. 

The  official  looked  at  him  askance  as  he  drew  his 
bushy  brows  together  and  pulled  at  his  beard.  "  I 
confess  it  looks  serious — and  strongly  favors  your 
supposition." 

"  But  what  else  ?  It  is  as  plain  as  the  nose  on 
your  face,  I  should  say!  At  Torre  Sansevero  they 
have  been  living  on  next  to  nothing — my  cousin  is 
cook,  and  I  know  that  every  soldo  is  counted.  They 
come  to  Rome  and  spend  their  savings.  You  will 

163 


164         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

say  they  have  done  that  for  years ;  but  tell  me  this, 
should  their  savings  in  this  year  treble  the  savings 
of  other  years  ?  " 

Triumphantly  he  looked  at  his  companion  and, 
throwing  back  his  head,  put  his  hands  on  his  hips. 
Then,  with  a  return  to  his  confidential  manner,  he 
laid  his  finger  against  his  nose.  "  I  know  it  for  a 
fact,"  he  continued — "  Luigi  heard  it  at  the  key- 
hole— that  their  excellencies  contemplated  staying  at 
Torre  Sansevero  all  this  winter !  Her  excellency  had 
the  look — Maria,  the  maid,  told  the  servants  that 
much — that  her  excellency  always  has  when  signore, 
the  prince,  has  cut  the  strings  and  left  the  purse 
empty." 

"  Furthermore? "  The  official  twirled  his  mus- 
tache with  an  air  of  incredulity. 

"  Furthermore,  the  great  Raphael  disappears ! 
Her  excellency's  renovation  story  was  a  little  weak 
for  my  digestion,  and,  unless  my  eyes  played  me 
false,  she  was  well  frightened.  I'll  take  my  oath  she 
was  at  a  loss  what  to  answer." 

"  You  say  you  taxed  her  with  it  ?  " 

"As  I  told  you.  She  answered  that  the  picture 
was  being  renovated.  An  answer  for  an  idiot — the 
picture  is  one  of  the  best  canvases  extant ;  in  perfect 
repair." 

"  Did  you  tell  her  that?  " 

"  Partially.     I  am  sure  she  saw  my  suspicion." 

"  I  should  doubt  her  carrying  out  the  sale  after 
that.  There  is  where  your  story  fails." 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         165 

"  Ah,  but  it  had  already  gone !  It  was  perhaps 
by  then  in  the  house  of  a  foreign  millionaire.  No, 
no,  my  story  hangs  together:  The  great  picture 
disappears!  A  month  later — time  exactly  for  its 
arrival  in  America  and  the  payment  for  it  to  be 
sent  over  here — her  excellency  of  no  money  comes  out 
in  such  a  motor-car  as  that !  And  sables !  I  have  an 
eye  for  furs.  My  father  was  in  the  business.  The 
value  of  those  she  has  on  runs  easily  into  the  seventy 
or  eighty  thousand  lire.  Here  she  comes  now,  out 
of  the  banker's  where  American  money  is  most  often 
paid !  Do  you  want  better  evidence  ?  " 

He  had  been  punctuating  all  he  said  with  his  fin- 
gers, and  now,  with  a  final  snap  of  arms  and  a  shrug 
of  shoulders,  he  looked  up  in  keen  triumph  at  his 
companion. 

The  other — slower  and  less  excited  than  the  nar- 
rator (probably  because  he  was  not  the  discoverer 
of  the  plot) — nevertheless  showed  lively  interest. 
"  It  is  very  grave,"  he  admitted  at  last.  "  But  the 
Sansevero  family  is  illustrious.  We  may  not  pro- 
ceed against  them  without  due  consideration.  I  shall 
report  the  case  to  the  chief  of  our  secret  service, 
and  the  prince  must  be " 

A  tall,  athletic  young  man  who  had  been  changing 
some  foreign  gold  into  Italian,  came  into  the  open 
doorway  of  the  office.  A  carriage,  passing  at  that 
moment  close  to  the  curb,  had  prevented  the  two 
men  from  hearing  the  stranger's  footfall,  and  as  the 
latter  stood  on  the  top  step,  searching  in  his  pocket 


166         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

for  matches,  he  happened  to  catch  the  name  "  San- 
severo." At  once  his  attention  was  arrested,  but  as 
the  conversation  was  carried  on  in  an  undertone, 
he  caught  only  vague,  detached  words.  Still,  he 
was  sure  that  he  had  heard  "  Raphael "  after  the 
name,  "Sansevero,"  "disappearance,"  and  then  some- 
thing like  "  secret  service."  But  his  presence  evi- 
dently had  become  known,  for  as  he  passed  on  out 
into  the  street  the  two  in  blue  coats  were  talking 
loudly  about  the  excursion  to  Tivoli  and  the  scenery 
en  route. 

Walking  out  into  the  middle  of  the  square  where 
the  cabs  stand,  he  jumped  into  the  first  one,  but  he 
looked  cautiously  back  toward  the  men  in  front  of 
Cook's,  before  telling  the  driver  to  take  him  to  the 
Palazzo  Sansevero. 

Here  the  portiere  in  his  morning  clothes,  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  gorgeous  apparel  of  afternoon,  was 
sweeping  out  the  courtyard.  Holding  his  broom 
handle  with  exactly  the  same  dignity  with  which, 
later  in  the  day,  he  would  hold  his  mace,  he  informed 
the  stranger  that  his  excellency  the  prince  was  not 
at  home — neither  was  her  excellency  the  princess. 
Upon  being  asked  whether  Miss  Randolph  were  per- 
haps at  home,  he  altogether  forgot  his  imperturbabil- 
ity. That  a  signore  should  send  irf  his  card  to  a 
slgnorlna  was  so  far  outside  the  range  of  his  ex- 
perience that  the  man  stood  with  his  mouth  open, 
unable  even  to  think  what  answer  to  give.  As 
though  he  were  a  somnambulist,  the  man  took  the 


THE   TITLE   MARKET 

card  and  slowly  read  the  name  on  its  face;  then  he 
looked  the  stranger  over  from  head  to  foot,  read 
the  name  a  second  time,  and  finally  entered  the 
palace. 

The  young  man  watched  his  retreating  figure,  and 
then,  throwing  back  his  head,  laughed  long  and 
heartily.  After  which  he  fell  to  studying  the  de- 
tails of  the  courtyard.  He  noted  with  keen  interest 
the  deep  ruts  worn  in  the  solid  stone  paving  under 
the  massive  arches  of  the  gateways,  and  glanced  up 
at  the  bas-reliefs  between  the  windows.  At  the 
sound  of  footsteps  he  turned  and  encountered  Nina's 
maid,  Celeste. 

Mademoiselle  had  sent  her  to  bid  him  mount  to 
the  salon.  Through  the  green  baize  doors — it  was 
the  shorter  way — and  then,  if  monsieur  would  go 
straight  on  to  the  very  last  of  the  rooms —  His 
striding  pace  made  Celeste  fairly  trot  along  at  his 
heels.  He  went  through  room  after  room.  Was 
there  no  end  to  them?  At  last  Nina's  slight,  girlish 
figure  was  seen  silhouetted  against  a  broad  window 
at  the  end — the  light  at  her  back  hazing  the  gold 
of  her  hair,  like  a  nimbus,  about  her  face. 

She  ran  toward  him,  both  hands  out.  "  Jack ! 
Dear  Jack!  Is  it  you,  really,  or  am  I  dreaming? 
When  did  you  come?  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  to  see 
you;  but  what  a  surprise!  Why  did  you  not  send 
word?" 

For  a  moment  a  light  leaped  into  Derby's  eyes. 
It  seemed  as  though  Nina  was  looking  at  him  ex- 


168         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

actlj  as  he,  in  his  day  dreams,  had  seen  her.  But 
his  prudence  steadied  his  first  impulse,  and  he  put 
down  her  gladness  as  merely  the  joy  of  a  person  who> 
far  from  home,  sees  suddenly  a  familiar  face  in  the 
midst  of  strangers;  and  they  sat  on  the  sofa  just  as 
they  had  sat  on  the  railing  of  the  veranda  in  the 
country,  ever  since  they  were  children. 

In  Derby's  account  of  himself,  Nina  could  easily 
read  the  confidence  that  had  led  her  father  to  send 
him  to  Italy.  But  their  talk  had  gone  little  further 
than  the  barest  outline  of  his  mission  when  the  prince 
and  princess  returned.  At  the  sight  of  Nina  sitting 
alone  with  a  man,  the  princess  came  forward  quickly 
with  the  question,  "  My  child,  what  does  this  mean  ?  " 
as  plainly  asked  in  her  eyes  as  it  could  have  been 
by  spoken  words.  But  at  Nina's  "  John  Derby, 
Aunt  Eleanor ! "  the  princess  put  out  her  hand  with 
all  the  grace  in  the  world,  and  as  she  returned  the 
straight,  frank  look  of  his  blue  eyes,  her  whole  ex- 
pression became  youthful,  as  if  reflecting  some  pleas- 
ant memory  of  her  girlhood. 

"  I  knew  your  uncle  very,  very  well ! "  She 
smiled  entrancingly.  It  was  a  smile  that  irresistibly 
attracted  to  her  all  who  ever  saw  it.  "  You  are  like 
him."  Then  she  added  softly,  dreamingly,  as 
though  half  speaking  to  herself,  "  You  remind  me 
of  so  many  things — at  home !  " 

The  next  minute  she  had  turned  to  present  Derby 
to  her  husband,  and  the  conversation  became  gen- 
eral. But,  finally,  in  a  pause,  Nina  said,  "  Jack, 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         169 

tell  Uncle  Sandro  what  father  sent  you  over  to  do. 
Or  is  it  a  secret  ?  " 

Derby  looked  toward  Sansevero  as  though  meas- 
uring the  man.  "  It  is  no  great  secret — but  I  would 
rather  it  was  not  spoken  of  yet." 

"  My  ears  are  deaf,  and  my  tongue  is  dumb." 
Sansevero  put  his  hand  over  his  ear,  his  mouth,  and 
finally  his  heart. 

"  I  have  come  over  to  buy,  or  to  lease — at  all 
events,  tp  work- — sulphur  mines," 

As  though  an  electric  current  had  been  turned  on, 
Sansevero  sat  up  straight,  and  his  levity  vanished. 
"  To  work  sulphur  mines !  Will  you  tell  me 
more?  I  have  a  particular  reason  for  wanting  to 
know." 

Derby  answered  willingly.  **  I  can  give  you  a 
general  idea.  I  was  forced  into  inventing  a  new 
method  of  mining  on  account  of  the  quicksands, 
which  are  found  all  through  our  mines  at  home. 
Taking  a  suggestion  from  the  oil  wells,  I  bored  just 
such  a  well  down  into  the  sulphur  beds.  Ordinarily 
the  sulphur  is  brought  up  in  powder  or  rock  form, 
and  refined  in  vats  on  the  surface,  so  that  not  only  do 
the  miners  have  to  go  down  into  the  sulphurous 
heat,  but  the  caldrons  in  which  the  sulphur  is  re- 
fined give  out  gases  that  are  unendurable  to  human 
throats  and  lungs.  In  our  mines,  the  sulphur  is 
now  refined  sixty  or  a  hundred  feet  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground,  and  pours  out  in  an  already 
purified  state,  at  the  top  of  the  well." 


170         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Sansevero  looked  incredulous.  "  But  sulphur  is 
almost  impossible  to  liquefy.  Unlike  metals,  it  con- 
geals again  when  it  has  been  heated  beyond  the 
proper  temperature.  Also  it  corrodes  any  metal 
it  touches,  so  that  a  pipe  would  be  eaten  away 
immediately." 

"  To  get  over  those  difficulties  is  exactly  what  I 
am  trying  to  do  by  my  new  process,"  Derby  an- 
swered. "  The  sulphur  is  melted  by  hot  water  sent 
down  the  pipes,  followed  by  sand,  and  then  sawdust 
— the  sand  to  carry  the  heat  to  the  cooler  edges,  and 
the  wet  sawdust  to  check  the  heat  at  the  center." 

Even  the  princess  drew  nearer  and  laid  her  hand 
on  her  husband's  arm  as  Derby  made  his  explana- 
tion. Sansevero  trembled  with  excitement.  "  But 
according  to  that,"  he  cried,  turning  to  his  wife; 
"  our  mine  would  be  practicable !  "  Then  to  Derby : 
"  I  ought  to  explain  to  you  that  we  have  a  sulphur 
mine  in  Sicily,  near  Vencata.  So  far  as  I  know, 
the  sulphur  does,  as  you  say,  lie  in  a  bed  some  twenty 
meters  down.  Above  it  are  rock  and  alluvial  soil. 
The  volcanic  neighborhood  makes  the  temperature 
below  ground  higher  than  can  be  borne,  yet  we  know 
that  the  sulphur  deposit  is  immense." 

"  Give  me  more  details.  From  what  you  say,  it 
sounds  as  though  this  mine  of  yours  might  be  ex- 
actly what  we  are  looking  for.  Does  Mr.  Randolph 
know  of  it,  or  that  you  are  the  owner?  " 

"  No ;  no  one  knows  it  excepting  one  small  group 
of  sulphur  owners.  I  unwisely  went  into  it  on  the 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          171 

advice  of — some  one  who  is  very  good  at  all  these 
things;  yet  the  best  are  liable  to  mistake.  Other 
mines  in  the  neighborhood,  owned  by  friends  of  mine, 
have  brought  in  a  fortune.  Ours  has,  so  far,  been 
a  failure." 

The  talk  lasted  until  luncheon  was  served.  Gio- 
vanni put  in  an  appearance,  and  Derby  was  pressed 
to  stay.  As  di  Valdo  and  the  American  met,  there 
was  a  barely  perceptible  coldness  under  the  Italian's 
good  manners,  while  Derby's  greeting  showed  a  mo- 
mentary curiosity.  Two  more  sharply  contrasted 
beings  could  hardly  have  been  brought  together. 
But  gradually  Giovanni  also  became  interested  in 
the  mining  plans,  and,  as  the  reason  for  the  Ameri- 
can's coming  to  Europe  very  evidently  was  business 
and  not  the  pursuit  of  the  heiress,  Giovanni's  affa- 
bility became  genuine. 

The  end  of  the  matter  was  that  Derby  agreed  to 
take  up  the  Sansevero  mine,  commonly  known  as  the 
"  Little  Devil  " ;  to  be  worked  on  a  "  royalty  "  basis. 
Derby,  representing  his  company,  was  to  pay  all 
expenses,  take  all  responsibility,  and  to  return  to 
Sansevero  a  percentage  of  the  market  price  on  every 
ton  of  sulphur  taken  out  of  it. 

Furthermore,  Sansevero  insisted  upon  giving  him 
a  letter  to  the  Archbishop  of  Vencata,  who  lived 
about  eight  hours  on  muleback  from  the  mining  set- 
tlement. The  Sicilians,  he  declared,  were  a  danger- 
ous people  for  strangers  who  tried  to  interfere  in 
their  established  order  of  things. 


172         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  So  then  I  am  likely  to  have  adventures !  It 
sounds  exciting ! "  The  American  laughed  light- 
heartedly  at  the  sport  of  it.  However,  he  accepted 
the  letter  to  the  archbishop. 


A  MENACE 

DERBY  did  not  realize  until  afterward  that  the 
entire  conversation  at  the  Palazzo  Sansevero 
had  been  about  his  projects,  and  that,  aside 
from  a  few  generalities,  he  really  knew  nothing  of 
Nina's  winter  or  of  her  Italian  experiences.  He  re- 
turned to  his  hotel  at  about  five  o'clock,  and  was 
striding  directly  toward  the  smoking-room  without 
glancing  to  right  or  left  among  the  attractive 
groups  that  characterize  the  tea  hour  at  the  Excel- 
sior, when  he  was  arrested  by  some  one's  calling, 
"Why,  John  Derby!" 

In  the  crowd  of  persons  and  tables  he  looked 
blankly  for  a  familiar  face,  but,  as  his  name  was 
repeated,  he  recognized  Mrs.  Bobby  Davis  and  her 
sister,  Mildred  Hoyt.  As  soon  as  Derby  reached 
their  table,  Mrs.  Davis  glibly  rattled  off  the  names 
of  the  four  or  five  men  who  comprised  their  party. 
They  were  all  Europeans,  who,  in  regular  afternoon 
attire — frock  coats,  and  flower  in  buttonhole — were 
sipping  tea  and  eating  cake.  Derby  was  in  tweeds, 
and  afternoon  tea  was  by  no  means  part  of  his  daily 
program. 

However,  he  made  the  best  of  it,  and  also  of  the 
173 


174         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

remarks  that  followed,  for  he  was  sooner  seated  than 
Mrs.  Davis  turned  all  her  powers  of  sprightly  con- 
versation upon  the  subject  of  Nina.  Half  of  the 
nobility  of  Italy,  she  averred,  were  sighing — or 
busily  doing  sums — at  the  feet  of  the  American  heir- 
ess. There  was  a  particularly  fascinating  San- 
severo — he  was  not  called  Sansevero,  but  di  Valdo 
(curious  custom  of  having  half  a  dozen  names  for 
one  person!),  who,  it  was  rumored,  was  simply  mad 
about  Nina !  People  said  she  was  going  to  marry 
him — either  him  or  Duke  something.  And  there 
were  crowds  of  others.  That  was  one  of  her  suitors 
now — she  pointed  out  Tornik,  who  was  taking  tea 
with  a  group  from  the  Austrian  Embassy.  He  was 
most  attractive,  didn't  John  think  so?  In  Nina's 
place,  she  would  have  her  head  turned! 

This  idea  seemed  to  be  a  new  one  to  Derby. 
"  Should  you?  "  The  question  was  asked  so  reflect- 
ively that  Mrs.  Davis  almost  stopped  to  think;  but 
the  habit  of  prattling  carried  her  on. 

"  To  have  men  like  that  sighing  for  one — I  should 
call  it  thrilling,  to  say  the  least." 

Derby's  look  questioned.  "  I  wonder  why  the 
Europeans  make  such  a  hit  with  you  women,"  he 
said.  "  Why,  for  instance,  do  you  find  that  man 
over  there  attractive?  What  do  you  like  about 
him?  " 

"  Seriously  ?  "  Mrs.  Davis  patted  her  hair  up  the 
back  with  a  little  smoothing  movement  of  satisfac- 
tion. "  I  don't  know  how  to  put  it — it  is  very  in- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         175 

definable;  but  a  man  like  that  has  a  quality — a 
polish,  I  suppose  it  is,  really — that  is  quite  irresist- 
ible." 

Derby  looked  rather  disgusted.  "  And  you  think 
that  is  why  Nina  likes  them?  " 

"  Oh,  there  are  other  reasons — lots  of  them.  In 
the  first  place,  Nina  has  a  bad  case  of  *  allure  de 
noblesse'  In  her  case  I  don't  wonder!  You  can't 
imagine  anything  so  heavenly  as  her  aunt's  palace; 
it  is  every  bit  as  fine  as  any  of  the  galleries  or  mu- 
seums." 

As  though  this  remark  added  a  new  link  to  a  chain 
of  old  impressions,  Derby  found  himself  asking: 
"  By  the  way — they  have  a  famous  picture  gallery 
out  in  the  country  somewhere,  haven't  they  ?  " 

Mrs.  Davis  turned  for  information  to  Prince 
Minotti,  sitting  next  to  her;  who,  as  he  was  not 
especially  welcomed  by  the  Romans,  much  affected 
the  society  of  Americans,  since  to  them,  as  a  rule,  a 
prince  is  a  prince,  and  the  name  that  follows  of  com- 
parative unimportance. 

"  Torre  Sansevero,"  he  said  pompously,  "  is  one 
of  the  finest  estates  we  have  in  Italy.  In  fact,  the 
gardens  are  hardly  less  celebrated  than  those  of  the 
Villa  d'Este,  and  there  are  a  few  excellent  paintings. 
Do  you  ask  for  any  special  reason  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Derby  casually.  "  I  heard  they 
had  a  Raphael  that  was  especially  beautiful;  I 
should  like  to  see  it — that  is  all." 

"  Do  you,  by  chance,  know  the  Princess  Sansevero's 


176         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

niece,  from  America,  who  is  captivating  Rome  this 
winter?  " 

"Miss  Randolph?     Yes." 

"  Ah,  then  it  will  be  easy  for  you  to  get  permission 
to  see  the  painting.  The  gallery  is  not  open  to  the 
public,  though  Cook's,  I  believe,  send  a  party  out 
once  a  week,  to  see  the  gardens." 

To  Derby  the  suspicion  at  once  became  a  certainty 
that,  in  overhearing  the  talk  between  the  Cook's 
guide  and  the  official,  he  had  by  accident  stumbled 
upon  something  of  serious  importance  to  the  Sanse- 
veros.  He  was  puzzling  over  it  when,  in  the  smok- 
ing-room, a  few  moments  later,  he  encountered  Eliot 
Porter,  an  American  writer  who  was  making  a  study 
cf  Roman  life.  At  sight  of  Derby  he  called  out 
heartily,  "  Hello,  Jack,  when  did  you  come  over?  " 

Derby  drew  up  a  chair  beside  him,  and  briefly 
sketched  the  object  of  his  visit. 

"  Negotiating  with  Scorpa,  I  suppose? "  asked 
Porter. 

"  The  Sulphur  King?  "  Derby  shook  his  head. 
"  No,  I  don't  think  I  shall  need  him.  I  have  my 
hands  on  a  property  that  promises  to  be  what  I  am 
looking  for.  The  duke  wants  to  work  his  mines 
himself  and  in  his  own  way.  I  am  merely  trying  a 
scheme;  if  it  turns  out  well,  good!  If  not,  I  shall 
have  tested  it." 

"  When  do  you  begin  operations  ?  I  suppose  you 
realize,  my  friend,  that  it  is  no  joke  to  interfere  with 
the  Sicilians  ?  They  are  as  suspicious  of  a  new  face 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         177 

as  a  tribe  of  savages.  Savages  is  just  about  what 
they  are,  too!  And  there  is  another  element  that 
you  should  not  lose  sight  of:  If  you  are  going  to 
upset  Scorpa's  methods,  it  is  not  the  Sicilians  alone 
that  you  will  have  to  deal  with,  but  also  the  duke 
himself." 

"  I  am  not  going  to  try  his  property." 

"  No,  but  he  controls  the  sulphur  output.  If  you 
come  into  his  market — well,  I'd  not  give  a  soldo  for 
your  skin.  Besides,  that  would  be  the  second  grudge 
he'd  have  against  you !  " 

"  Second?     I  don't  understand *-" 

"  He  wants  to  marry  your  best  girl !  Oh,  hold 
on — no  offense  meant.  She  is  having  a  splendid 
time  of  it,  if  a  string  of  satellites  as  long  as  the 
Ponte  San  Angelo  constitutes  a  woman's  joy.  All 
the  same,  my  boy;  put  this  in  your  pipe  and  smoke 
it:  'Ware  Scorpa,  don't  turn  your  back  to  any  one 
who  might  be  in  his  employ,  and  bolt  your  door  at 
night.  Will  you  have  my  Winchester?  " 

Derby  smoked  on,  unperturbed.  "  It  sounds  as 
though  it  might  be  interesting.  I  had  expected  a 
mere  proposition  of  machinery;  the  human  element 
always  adds.  Wasn't  it  you  who  told  me  that?  " 

"  In  a  book,  decidedly ! "  and  then  with  a  sudden 
impulse,  "  By  Jove,  Jack,  I  believe  it  would  be  a 
good  thing  for  me  to  go  along  with  you !  I  might 
get  new  copy." 

Derby  laughed  incredulously.  "  Well,  if  you 
mean  it,  come  along!  I  wish  you  would."  Porter 


178          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

meant  it  enough  to  be  interested  in  the  project,  at 
any  rate,  for  later  the  two  men  dined  together,  and 
they  discussed  arrangements  and  expedients  all  the 
evening. 

Derby  went  to  the  Palazzo  Sansevero  the  next  day, 
but  again  he  had  much  to  talk  over  with  the  prince, 
and  saw  little  of  Nina.  In  some  unaccountable  way 
she  seemed  changed;  nothing  definite  happened  to 
mark  the  difference  that  he  vaguely  felt,  but  Mrs. 
Davis's  remark  came  back  to  him — "  The  Europeans 
are  so  finished,"  and  he  wondered  whether  Nina  found 
him  unfinished;  he  even  wondered  whether  he  was  or 
not — which  was  a  good  deal  of  wondering  for  him. 

At  first,  Sansevero's  investment  in  the  "  Little 
Devil "  had  seemed  to  Derby  merely  the  unfortunate 
venture  the  prince  thought  it,  but  when,  in  the  course 
of  their  talk,  it  came  out  that  Scorpa  was  the 
"  friend  "  who  had  sold  him  the  mine,  Derby  was 
sure  that  the  duke  had  deliberately  saddled  him  with  a 
property  which  he  knew  to  be  useless.  And  yet  every 
word  that  Scorpa  had  urged  as  a  reason  for  the 
mine's  value,  was — taken  literally — true.  The  mine 
was  in  close  proximity  to  his  own ;  the  surveys,  fur- 
thermore, showed  the  "  Little  Devil "  to  be  the 
richest  in  sulphur  deposit  of  any  in  the  region.  But 
if  the  mine  was  as  valuable  as  Scorpa  declared,  it 
was  scarcely  compatible  with  all  that  was  known 
of  his  character  that  out  of  purely  disinterested 
friendship,  he  should  put  such  a  prize  in  Sansevero's 
hands,  while  he  bought  up  for  himself  less 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          179 

valuable  mines  at  higher  prices.  Derby  kept  his 
opinions  to  himself;  but  his  blood  boiled  with  indig- 
nation and,  mentally,  he  resolved  to  beat  Scorpa  if  it 
was  humanly  possible. 

As  Derby  was  leaving,  Nina  deliberately  went 
from  the  room  with  him.  "  I  want  to  speak  with 
John  a  few  minutes,"  she  said  to  her  aunt.  "  We  are 
both  Americans,  you  know,"  she  added,  laughing. 
In  the  adjoining  room  she  motioned  him  to  sit  beside 
her,  but  he  stood  instead,  leaning  against  the  window 
frame.  She  looked  up  with  something  like  apology. 
"  Am  I  keeping  you?  "  she  asked  quickly.  "  Are  you 
in  a  hurry?  " 

Almost  with  the  manner  of  Mr.  Randolph,  he 
pulled  out  his  watch.  "  Not  especially.  I  have  an 
appointment  with  the  Duke  Scorpa — but  not  for 
half  an  hour."  She  had  not  noticed  before  the  nerv- 
ously hurried  manner  of  her  countrymen.  There 
were  many  things  she  wanted  to  talk  to  John  about 
— but  she  might  as  well  have  tried  to  carry  on  a  rest- 
ful conversation  at  a  railroad  station,  when  the  train 
was  coming  in. 

"  With  Scorpa?  "  She  tried  to  hold  his  attention. 
"  What  are  you  going  to  see  him  about?  " 

Derby  seemed  preoccupied. 

"  I  don't  think  I'm  very  sure  myself — further  than 
that  he  wants  to  buy  my  patents,  which  I  have  no 
intention  of  selling,  and  I  want  to  rent  his  mines, 
which  he  has  no  intention  of  renting.  Rather 
asinine,  going  to  see  him!  Still,  as  he  insists " 


180         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

There  was  an  eagerness  in  Derby's  face  inconsistent 
with  the  shrugging  of  his  shoulders. 

But  Nina's  thoughts  were  not  on  the  processes  of 
mining  just  then,  though  they  were  on  Scorpa.  She 
looked  at  Derby  appealingly. 

"Jack!" 

"Yes,  Nina?" 

"  Do  you  know  what  I  think? — Aunt  Eleanor 
won't  say  a  word;  she  hides  it  all  she  can,  but  she 
must  have  lost  almost  her  entire  fortune.  Jack,  do 
you  think  that  Duke  Scorpa  could  be  at  the  bottom 
of  it?" 

Derby  gave  her  a  glance  of  keen  interest,  but  he 
expressed  no  surprise  and  asked  her  no  questions. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  gossip  of  the  Cook's  guide 
had  partly  prepared  him  for  Nina's  revelation  about 
her  aunt's  fortune,  and  he  had  his  own  theories  about 
Scorpa.  "  Quite  likely,"  he  answered  dryly,  "  but 
it  is  also  quite  likely  that  we  shall  get  the  better  of 

him "      Then,    with    a    sudden    change    in    his 

manner  he  looked  at  her  steadily.  "  But  per- 
haps you  don't  want  us  to  get  the  better  of 
him?  " 

"  Do  you  mean ?  " 

"  I  hear  he  is  very  devoted — and  he  has  not  only 
the  handle  to  his  name  that  you  women  seem  to  be 
keen  about,  but  he  is  too  rich  to  be  after  your 
money."  Derby  had  no  sooner  said  the  words  than 
he  regretted  them.  But  seeing  Nina  color,  he  mis- 
interpreted her  feelings,  and  spoke  under  a  sudden 


THE    TITLE   MARKET          181 

flash  of  jealousy.  "  And  I  suppose  the  title  of 
duchess  is  irresistible." 

Nina  was  deeply  hurt.  "  That  is  pretty  blunt," 
she  said,  the  pupils  of  her  eyes  contracted  as  though 
the  sun  blinded  them.  "  Have  you  ever  seen  the  man 
you  speak  of?  No?  Well,  you  would  not  say  such 
a  thing  if  you  had.  I  hate  him !  " 

Derby  seemed  fated  to  blunder.  Again  he  made 
the  wrong  remark.  "  Hate,  they  say,  is  next  to 
love." 

His  lack  of  insight,  so  palpable  in  contrast  with 
Giovanni's  keenness  of  perception,  was  too  much  for 
Nina's  new  sensitiveness.  She  suddenly  congealed, 
and  stood  up,  very  straight,  with  the  little  upward 
tilt  of  the  chin  that  indicated  fast  approaching 
temper. 

Derby  knew  this  symptom  well  enough,  but  he  had 
not  the  slightest  idea  that  his  own  obtuseness  was  the 
cause.  Without  analyzing,  he  accepted  her  starting 
up  as  a  signal  to  leave,  and  promptly  said  good-by. 
"  Good-by,  then ! "  Nina  said  frigidly ;  and,  turning 
on  her  heel,  she  abruptly  left  him. 

Under  the  spur  of  her  anger  against  him,  the 
words  framed  themselves  in  her  mind — "  How  unfin- 
ished he  is !  "  But  down  in  her  heart  there  was  an 
ache,  deeper  than  could  have  been  caused  by  mere 
irritation,  or  even  disappointment.  Never  before  in 
her  life  had  there  been  a  breach  between  John  and 
her.  She  felt  it  was  all  the  fault  of  his  own  density 
was  it  lack  of  feeling? 


182          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

She  went  to  her  room  to  put  on  her  riding  habit, 
for  she  was  going  to  the  meet.  Then,  as  she  dressed, 
the  thought  came  to  her  that  John,  a  foreigner,  and 
the  most  venturesome  person  in  the  world,  was  going 
off  to  Sicily,  into  the  very  center  of  one  of  the  wildest 
districts.  And  gradually  fear  for  him  made  her  for- 
get her  resentment. 

Just  as  she  was  leaving  her  room  a  big  cornucopia 
of  roses  was  brought  in,  to  which  was  appended  the 
following  note: 

"  If  we  weren't  such  old  friends  and  you  didn't  know  what 
a  blundering  fool  I  am,  I  wouldn't  dare  to  apologize  for  this 
morning.  Judge  me  by  intent,  though,  won't  you — and  forgive 
me? 

"  JACK." 

Nina  broke  oif  a  rose  and  fastened  it  to  the  lapel 
of  her  habit ;  but  the  note  she  tucked  in  between  the 
buttonholes.  Suddenly  humming  a  gay  little  song, 
she  ran  through  the  rooms  and  corridors  to  join  her 
aunt  and  uncle,  who  were  waiting  for  her  to  motor 
out  to  the  hunt,  the  horses  having  been  sent  ahead 
with  the  grooms.  As  they  drove  out  of  the  court- 
yard she  noticed  that  the  sun  was  brilliantly 
shining. 

At  the  meet  the  scene  was  really  animated,  for 
the  day  was  perfect,  and  the  Via  Appia  was  a  bright 
moving  picture  of  carriages,  large  and  small,  big 
motors  and  little  runabouts,  the  road  dotted  here  and 
there  with  the  brilliant  scarlet  coats  of  those  who 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          183 

were  to  hunt  and  the  bright  colors  of  women's  dresses 
in  the  various  conveyances. 

There  was  apparently  much  lack  of  system:  the 
huntsmen  chatted  aimlessly  with  persons  in  the  car- 
riages ;  while  the  hounds  scurried  around  according1 
to  their  own  inclinations,  paying  little  attention  to 
the  snap  of  the  whip.  The  Contessa  Potensi,  who 
had  appeared  in  a  pink  hunting  coat,  was  the  cyno- 
sure of  all  eyes.  The  innovation  created  quite  a  stir 
and  no  little  admiration.  She  bowed  to  Nina  with 
unusual  civility,  and  made  a  formal  acknowledgment 
of  the  pleasure  of  riding  with  her.  Yet  shortly  after, 
when  she  joined  a  group  of  friends  a  distance  farther 
on,  she  was  laughing  and  glancing  back  as  she  spoke, 
in  a  way  that  left  little  doubt  that  she  was  making 
disparaging  remarks. 

Sansevero  and  Giovanni  had  mounted  their 
hunters,  and  now  joined  Nina,  but  that  gave  her 
little  pleasure,  for  the  contessa  immediately  returned. 
Nina  was  glad  when  Donna  Francesca  Dobini  and  the 
young  Prince  Allegro  cantered  up.  Donna  Fran- 
cesca was  soon  talking  with  Sansevero,  leaving  Nina 
to  Allegro — an  attractive  youth,  but  light  as  a  bit 
of  fluff. 

As  for  Giovanni,  she  felt  that  he  was  as  unstable 
as  the  dead  leaves  which  the  wind  at  that  moment  was 
blowing  around  and  around.  They  were  graceful, 
too,  those  leaves,  and  Giovanni  was  fascinating,  agile, 
charming — but  in  case  one  counted  upon  him  seri- 
ously, where  would  he  be?  Smiling  sweetly,  no  doubt, 


184          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

at  some  other  woman,  and  telling  her  that  her  eyes 
were  twin  lakes  of  heaven's  blue,  or  forest  pools  in 
which  his  heart  was  lost  forever. 

The  contrasting  image  of  John  Derby  came 
sharply  to  mind.  John  was  going  to  Sicily  to  do  a 
man's  work  in  a  man's  way.  A  little  later  she  noticed 
Tornik,  who  was  cantering  ahead  of  her:  his  figure 
was  not  unlike  John's — he  was  strong  and  masculine. 
She  wondered  aimlessly  if  they  might  be  in  any  other 
way  alike.  Supposing,  in  some  unaccountable  situa- 
tion she  were  to  be  thrown  upon  his  chivalry  for  pro- 
tection, what  would  he  do  ?  Shrug  his  shoulders  and 
look  bored  ?  Or  detail  a  company  from  his  regiment 
to  stand  guard  over  her?  The  idea  made  her  laugh. 

"  You  are  gay  this  morning,"  observed  Giovanni, 
light-heartedly  joining  in  her  laughter. 

With  a  quizzical  little  expression  Nina  looked  at 
him — "  I  wonder  if  you  would  be  amused  if  you  knew 
why  I  laughed." 

"  If  it  gives  you  pleasure — it  is  delicious,  what- 
ever it  is ! " 

All  the  softness  went  out  of  the  girl's  brown  eyes ; 
they  glittered  curiously.  "  Yes,"  she  said,  "  that  is 
just  what  I  thought."  After  which  ambiguous  re- 
mark she  returned  to  her  former  gayety — "  Come," 
she  said,  "  let's  go  fast ;  we  shall  be  the  last !  "  Ur- 
ging her  horse,  she  galloped  across  the  fields. 

She  would  have  been  at  a  loss  to  understand  her 
own  vacillations  of  mood  that  day :  she  seemed  to  feel 
an  unaccountable  revulsion  against  every  one.  The 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          185 

gesticulations  of  the  men  around  her,  their  airs  and 
blandishments,  annoyed  her.  Not  an  hour  earlier  she 
had  found  John  dull  and  flat  by  comparison  with 
Europeans.  Now  suddenly  they  were  effeminate 
dandies,  and  John  alone  was  a  real  man. 

But  the  exhilaration  of  jumping  brought  her  to  a 
more  equable  frame  of  mind,  and  at  the  first  check 
she  and  the  Prince  Allegro  were  in  the  lead.  Her 
cheeks  were  pink  and  her  eyes  bright  from  the  long 
gallop. 

They  had  stopped  on  a  knoll  out  on  the  Campagna, 
and  Nina  remained  apart  from  the  other  hunters, 
walking  her  horse  slowly,  while  Allegro  went  over  to 
the  carriage  to  get  a  handkerchief  for  her  from  the 
Princess  Sansevero.  She  drew  in  deep  breaths  of  the 
fresh  air,  as  she  gazed  out  over  the  rolling  hills  to 
the  snowclad  tops  of  the  Albanian  mountains  glisten- 
ing in  the  sunshine. 

Then  suddenly  a  deep,  oily  voice  jarred  through 
her  wandering  thoughts.  "  You  are  very  pensive !  " 
exclaimed  the  Duke  Scorpa,  appearing  beside  her. 

Nina  started  violently,  for,  besides  his  unexpected 
appearance,  there  was  something  in  this  man's  per- 
sonality that  always  sent  a  shudder  through  her. 

"  The  Marchese  di  Valdo  has  been  telling  me  that 
I  am  very  gay,"  she  answered,  not  so  much  to  give 
the  duke  the  information  as  to  contradict  him. 

"  Then  I  am  doubly  sad,  since  you  are  gay  with 
others,  and  absent-minded  when  I  come."  A  lurk- 
ing familiarity  in  his  smile  made  Nina  wince.  He. 


186          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

ranged  his  horse  so  close  that  his  boots  brushed 
against  hers,  and  she  pulled  aside  quickly;  he  did 
not  move  close  again,  but  he  checked  her  attempt 
to  pass  him,  keeping  between  her  and  the  other 
riders. 

"  Why  are  you  so  cruel?  "  he  murmured.  "  Diana 
never  had  so  many  votaries  as  Venus." 

"  I  am  not  interested  in  mythology,"  said  Nina, 
her  heart  fluttering  with  fright.  "  Please  allow  me 
to  pass — I  want  to  join  my  uncle." 

"  Sweet,  pale  little  Diana," — he  leaned  over  in  his 
saddle  and  purred  the  words  at  her — "  where  my- 
thology failed  was  in  not  marrying.  Diana  to  Mars. 
Exactly  as — you  are  going  to  marry  me !  " 

"  I  will  not !  I  told  you  before  I  would  not !  Let 
me  pass!"  She  pulled  the  reins  so  taut  that  her 
horse  reared  as  she  urged  him  forward,  but  again 
the  duke  ranged  his  horse  close  beside  her,  heading 
off  her  attempt  to  get  past. 

"  A  woman's  '  won't '  as  often  means  she  will,"  he 
answered  deliberately.  "  It  is  when  she  says  she  is 
not  certain  that  her  irrevocable  decision  is  made." 

"  I  hate  you,  I  utterly  hate  you !  "  cried  Nina,  her 
anger  getting  the  better  of  her  fear. 

The  duke  laughed  maliciously.  "  I  had  scarcely 
hoped  to  make  so  deep  a  mark  on  your  emotions ! 
If  you  hate  me,  then  truly  you  will  marry  me! — 
against  your  will,  if  need  be,"  he  added,  reining 
back  his  horse  at  last.  "  I  will  wait  to  make  you 
love  me  afterward." 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          187 

At  this  point  Allegro  returned  with  the  handker- 
chief, and  the  duke  let  Nina  pass.  Tornik,  also, 
now  joined  her,  the  master  of  the  hounds  gave  the 
signal,  and  again  the  riders  were  off.  Nina,  be- 
tween Tornik  and  Allegro,  was  protected  from  the 
duke's  approach,  but  she  kept  apprehensively  glanc- 
ing back.  She  looked  about  for  her  uncle,  but 
could  not  see  him. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Sansevero's  horse  had 
strained  itself  slightly  in  one  of  the  jumps,  and  he 
had  thought  it  best  to  drop  out  of  the  hunt.  He 
had  gone  only  a  short  distance  on  his  way  toward 
Rome  when  he  was  joined  by  Scorpa,  who  said  that 
he  did  not  care  to  ride  farther  but  would  go  back 
with  Sansevero.  The  prince  was  glad  of  his  com- 
pany until  Scorpa  began : 

"  You  have  not  yet  given  me  a  favorable  answer 
to  my  proposal  for  Miss  Randolph's  hand." 

The  abruptness  with  which  the  subject  was  intro- 
duced irritated  Sansevero,  and  he  answered  sulkily: 
"  I  told  you,  when  you  first  spoke  to  me,  that  it  was 
a  matter  Miss  Randolph  would  have  to  decide  for 
herself.  An  American  girl  never  allows  other  peo- 
ple to  arrange  her  marriage  for  her,  and  I  found 
my  niece  not  at  all  disposed  to  reconsider  her 
answer." 

An  ugly  light  shone  in  the  duke's  eyes.  "  I  do 
not  want  to  seem  importunate,"  he  said,  "  but — I 
would  do  very  much  for  the  man  who  furthered  my 
marriage  with  Miss  Randolph,  and  you  would  find 


188         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

the  alliance  of  our  families  of  great  advantage.  I 
am  a  hot-blooded  fellow,  but  I'm  not  such  a  bad  lot. 
I  cannot  help  being  wounded,  though,  by  your 
niece's  indifference,  and  in  jealousy  of  a  rival  I 
might  do  things  that  otherwise  would  not  enter  my 
head.  This  is — eh — not  a  threat — but  it  is  a  family 
trait — the  Scorpas  stop  at  nothing  once  their  hearts 
are  aflame!  Think  it  over,  my  friend,  before  you 
decide  not  to  help  me." 

He  sighed  deeply  and  then,  as  though  turning  his 
attention  to  the  first  trivial  thought  that  came  to 
mind,  he  said  casually :  "  By  the  way,  I  have  been 
reading  lately  an  extremely  interesting  book  on 
celebrated  criminal  cases,  and  I  was  particularly 
impressed  by  the  way  in  which  circumstantial  evi- 
dence can  be  built  up  out  of  harmless  trifles.  Since 
reading  it  I  have,  been  rather  amusing  myself  by 
constructing  hypothetical  cases.  For  instance  " — 
Scorpa  pursed  his  lips  and  lowered  his  eyes,  as 
though  trying  to  invent  a  fanciful  story — "  take  a 
transaction  such  as  your  letting  me  have  that  pic- 
ture. One  could  build  a  very  stirring  case  upon 
that!" 

"  Yes  ?  "  encouraged  the  prince.  "  How  do  you 
mean?  " 

"  Well,  to  begin,  we  would  send  word  to  the  gov- 
ernment that  your  Raphael  Madonna  had  been  sold 
out  of  the  country." 

"  I  don't  think  that  a  good  beginning,  because  it 
is  easy  enough  to  prove  it  is  in  your  palace." 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         189 

"  Ah,  of  course.  But  for  the  amusement  of  the 
argument  we  will  say  that  I  want  to  do  you  an  in- 
jury and  so  smuggle  it  out  of  the  country!  Then 
when  I  am  questioned,  I  deny  all  knowledge  of  it. 
Yes,  I  would  have  you  there!  It  would  be  quite 
feasible,  because  no  one  saw  the  picture  change 
hands,  and  your  notes  to  me — the  only  proof  of  the 
transfer — could  easily  be  destroyed.  You  see? 
This  really  grows  interesting!  Then  comes  all  the 
cumulative  evidence  of  the  type  I  was  speaking 
about ;  for  instance :  After  the  supposed  sale  of  the 
picture,  you  indulge  in  unwonted  expenditures — of 
course,  it  is  easy  to  say  that  they  are  those  of  the 
American  heiress  stopping  with  you  " — he  paused, 
in  apparent  thoughtfulness — "  but  when,  in  addi- 
tion, an  enemy  buys  in  Paris  a  pair  of  earrings, 
matchless  emeralds,  that  are  recognized  as  having 
been  worn " 

"  Dio  mio!  My  wife's  emeralds!"  Sansevero 
was  startled  into  exclaiming.  Then  suddenly  he 
blazed  out:  "  What  do  you  mean  by  your  story?  If 
you  have  anything  to  say,  say  it  so  I  can  follow 

you." 

From  the  gross  lips  of  the  duke  his  apology  fell 
like  drops  of  thickest  oil :  "  I  regret  you  take  my 
pleasantry  so  ill,  and  I  ask  your  pardon  as  many 
times  as  you  require,  my  friend!  It  happened  by 
chance  that  I  saw  a  pair  of  emeralds  in  Paris  that 
were  duplicates  of  the  magnificent  gems  I  have  often 
admired  when  the  princess  wore  them,  and  the 


190          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

jeweler  told  me  that  they  had  been  sold  at  a  sacrifice 
by  a  noble  lady  in  urgent  need  of  money.  The  curi- 
ous coincidence  came  to  my  mind  in  illustration  of 
the  problems  I  was  talking  of.  Further  than  that  I 
meant  nothing — except  that  I  was  serious  in  what  I 
said  about  repaying  the  man  who  should  bring  about 
my  marriage." 

They  had  long  since  passed  through  the  Porta 
San  Giovanni  and  had  arrived  at  the  Coliseum. 
Scorpa  gave  Sansevero  little  chance  to  answer,  but 
with  a  friendly  good-by,  he  turned  toward  the  Monte 
Quirinal.  Sansevero  pursued  his  way  along  the 
foot  of  the  Palatine.  He  was  disturbed;  but  he 
could  not  bring  himself  to  read  into  the  duke's  words 
a  covert  threat.  His  first  impulse  was  to  repeat  the 
conversation  to  Eleanor,  but  he  knew  how  the  mere 
suspicion  that  Scorpa  had  detected  her  false  stones 
had  worried  her.  Curiously  enough,  in  Sansevero's 
mind  the  larger  issue  of  the  picture  was  quite  over- 
looked in  the  more  immediate  consideration  of  the 
jewels.  By  the  time  he  reached  home  he  had  decided 
to  wait  until  further  events  should  show  Scorpa's  in- 
tentions. And  until  then  he  would  say  nothing  to 
any  one — least  of  all  to  Eleanor. 

In  the  meantime  Nina  was  galloping  across  the 
Campagna.  For  a  while  the  fear  of  Scorpa  re- 
mained, but  when  she  realized  that  he  was  no  longer 
with  the  hunt,  she  breathed  more  freely,  and  again 
began  to  enjoy  the  day.  It  was  almost  as  though 
she  were  riding  through  the  country  at  home.  She 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          191 

might  have  been  hunting  in  Westchester,  or  on  Long 
Island,  for  any  actual  difference  that  there  was,  and 
the  finish,  as  at  home,  was  merely  anise  seed,  and 
the  hounds  were  fed  raw  meat. 


CHAPTER     XVII 

NINA  DUSTS  BEHIND  THE  COUNTER 

KATE  TITHERINGTON,  daughter  of  Alonzo 
K.  Titherington,  the  Pittsburg  iron  magnate, 
had  some  six  years  before  married  the  Count 
Masco.  After  a  short  experience  of  living  in  his 
ancestral  palace,  they  had  moved  into  an  apartment 
out  in  the  new  part  of  the  city ;  very  handsome,  very 
luxurious  and  modern  in  every  way.  "  Deliver  me 
from  these  musty  old  dungeons ! "  she  had  exclaimed 
to  her  husband.  "  I  will  give  a  free  deed  of  gift  to 
the  rats,  who  are  really,  my  dear,  the  only  beings  I 
can  think  of  to  whom  this  tumbledown  barracks  of 
yours  would  be  comfortable."  Her  husband  was  a 
meek  and  inoffensive  appendage,  who  had  been  well 
brought  up  by  an  overbearing  mother  and  turned 
over,  perfectly  trained,  to  the  strenuous  require- 
ments of  the  bonny  Kate. 

The  vivid  Countess  Masco,  nee  Titherington,  was 
looked  upon  with  disfavor  by  the  more  conservative 
Romans,  and  her  position  was  rather,  one  might  say, 
on  the  outer  edge  of  the  inner  circle.  There  were 
those  who  liked  her,  and  who  found  her  amus- 
ing and  lively;  indeed,  that  was  the  trouble — 
it  was  her  liveliness  that  had  banished  her  to  the 

192 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          193 

outer  edge,  instead  of  making  a  place  for  her  in  the 
inmost  circle,  where  Eleanor  Sansevero,  for  instance, 
was  so  securely  established. 

Nina  had  known  Kate  Titherington  one  summer 
at  Bar  Harbor,  but  her  first  encounter  with  this 
flamboyant  personality  in  Italy  was  at  the  Grand 
Hotel  a  few  days  before  the  hunt.  Nina  was  serv- 
ing at  one  of  the  tables  of  a  charity  tea,  when  she 
saw  a  very  highly-colored,  plump  figure,  with  drap- 
eries in  full  sail,  bearing  down  upon  her  from  the 
top  of  the  wide  steps,  at  the  back  of  the  big  red  hall. 
The  red  of  the  hall  paled  beside  the  cerise  costume 
of  the  approaching  lady.  In  a  voice  loud  and  high- 
keyed,  yet  not  unmusical,  she  cried: 

"  Well,  I  declare  if  it  isn't  little  Nina  Randolph !  " 
And  then  with  exuberant  good  humor  she  called  to 
her  husband,  who  followed  lamb-like  in  her  wake, 
"  You  see,  Gio,  it  is  the  little  Randolph — I  told  you 
00! 

"  This  is  my  husband."  She  presented  him  as 
though  he  were  some  inanimate  personal  possession. 
"  We  have  been  in  Paris  and  Monte  Carlo  all  winter. 
Got  back  yesterday.  Nice  old  place,  Rome,  don't 
you  think  so?  I  dote  on  it,  but  of  course  it  gets 
provincial  if  you  stay  too  long ! "  At  the  same 
moment  she  caught  sight  of  Zoya  Olisco,  and  waved 
to  her.  To  Nina's  surprise,  the  young  Russian 
came  forward  with  both  hands  outstretched.  "  Ah, 
you  are  back?  What  was  the  news  in  Monte 
Carlo?" 


194         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  Nothing  much.  They  still  talk  of  the  coup 

that  Tornik "  But  before  Nina  could  hear  the 

end  of  the  sentence,  the  old  Princess  Malio  handed 
her  a  five-lire  note  for  tea,  and  Nina  had  to  get 
change.  Then  the  whole  family  of  the  Rosenbaums, 
eight  in  number,  demanded  her  services  for  many 
cups  of  tea  and  as  many  plates  of  sandwiches  and 
cakes,  and  when  their  change  was  counted,  the  Count- 
ess Kate  and  her  attendant  husband  were  leaving. 
The  countess,  however,  called  back  over  her  shoulder, 
"  You  are  dining  with  me  on  Friday ;  the  princess 
said  yes  for  you !  " 

And  so  it  was  that  on  the  evening  of  the  hunt 
Nina,  alone  with  her  uncle — her  aunt  having  stayed 
at  home  on  account  of  a  headache — found  herself 
entering  a  big  new  apartment  house,  and  going  up 
in  an  elevator,  quite  as  though  she  were  at  home  in 
one  of  the  most  modern,  instead  of  one  of  the  most 
ancient,  cities  in  the  world. 

The  Masco  apartment  was  all  brand-new — so  new 
that  there  was  still  about  it  an  odor  of  fresh  paint 
and  plaster,  and  the  pungency  of  raw  textiles.  The 
Countess  Kate,  not  to  be  outdone  by  her  decorator, 
was  as  new  as  her  surroundings — in  the  latest  style 
of  sheath  dress,  of  a  brilliant  blue,  which  she 
wore  triumphantly,  regardless  of  the  strain  with 
which  it  stretched  across  the  amplitude  of  her 
chest. 

The  company  consisted  of  the  Oliscos,  Count  Tor- 
nik, Prince  Minotti,  Count  Rosso,  Prince  Allegro, 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         195 

Eliot  Porter,  and  John  Derby.  It  gave  Nina  a  sud- 
den feeling  of  satisfaction  to  see  how  attractive  John 
was  by  comparison  with  the  others.  He  had  a  quiet 
reserve  and  a  forcefulness  that  Nina  thought  very 
effective  in  this  foreign  surrounding,  and  she  was 
ashamed  of  herself  for  having  judged  him  by  the 
shallow  standard  of  mere  social  grace. 

The  Countess  Masco's  parties  were  renowned  for 
their  gayety.  She  was  one  of  those  hostesses  whose 
vivacity  never  relaxes,  and  whose  ready  answers  pass 
for  sparkling  wit.  According  to  her  own  standard, 
a  party  was  a  success  or  a  failure  as  it  was  noisy 
or  quiet.  Consequently  she  talked  and  laughed  con- 
tinuously. Startling  colors  were  her  particular 
weakness,  and  by  the  scent  of  extract  of  tuberose 
she  could  be  traced  for  days. 

Nina  sat  between  Eliot  Porter  and  the  young 
Prince  Allegro;  but  her  attention  wandered  across 
the  table  to  John  Derby  so  constantly  that  the  Prince 
Allegro  remarked,  "  You  seem  to  be  entranced  by 
that  American ! " 

"  Mr.  Derby  happens  to  be  my  oldest  and  my  best 
friend !  "  Nina  answered.  Then,  realizing  that  she 
had  made  the  statement  sententiously,  she  smiled 
brightly.  "  You  Europeans  so  often  say  that 
American  men  are  unattractive,"  she  said.  "  Over 
there  you  may  behold  one  of  *  our  best !  * ; 

Without  rancor  or  jealousy,  the  young  prince 
seemed  entirely  to  agree  with  her  opinion.  "  Why 
is  it  we  so  seldom  meet  those  Americans  you  call 


196         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

'  best '  ? "  he  asked,  between  spoonfuls  of  puree 
d'ecrevisse. 

"  Because  they  are  those  who  have  to  stay  at  home 
and  work."  And  then  she  added,  "  They  are  saints 
— don't  you  think?  " 

"  They  are  very  stupid,  I  should  say." 

Nina  let  her  spoon  rest  on  the  rim  of  her  plate. 
"  That's  not  polite  of  you." 

"  Why  ?  Since  it  is  true.  Of  course  they  are 
stupid!  They  let  their  women,  who  are  adorable, 
come  over  to  us.  Would  I,  do  you  think,  if  you  were 
my  wife,  allow  you  so  much  as  to  go  out  for  an 
afternoon's  drive  without  me?  Never!  To  prove 
further  that  your  men  are  stupid — in  no  country 
are  there  so  many  divorces  as  in  America ! " 

"  It  is  not  because  our  men  are  stupid,  at  all 
events ! " 

"Then  why  is  it?" 

"  Chiefly  because  our  men  have  too  little  time  to 
give  us."  And  then  she  spoke  under  sudden  stress 
of  feeling,  without  perhaps  knowing  the  full  wisdom 
of  what  she  said :  "  Do  you  suppose  that  if  our  men 
at  home  had  time  for  us,  we  would  come  over  here,  to 
you?" 

"  Then  all  the  more  are  the  Americans  fools ! " 
He  raised  his  champagne  glass.  "  Signorina,"  he 
said,  "  may  you  find  the  American  who  has  the 
time." 

Involuntarily  her  glance  went  toward  John.  Al- 
legro saw  it  and  laughed.  "  Ah,  ha !  So  that  is 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          197 

why  we  have  no  chance?  Still,"  he  added  on  second 
thought,  "  your  choice  does  you  credit." 

"  He  is  not  my  choice,  he  is  my  friend.  You  don't 
understand !  At  home  a  girl  has  men  friends  exactly 
as  she  has  girl  friends.  I  wonder  how  I  can  make  it 
clear  to  you — we  are  all  like  a  big  family.  They 
might  as  well  be  my  brothers,  many  of  the  men  I 
know;  there  is  not  a  bit  of  sentiment  in  our  liking 
for  each  other." 

"  There  is  no  sentiment  between  you  and  the  man 
over  there  ?  "  Allegro  twisted  the  blond  down  on 
his  upper  lip,  laughing  at  her  out  of  the  corners  of 
his  eyes.  "  I  may  be  little  more  than  a  boy,  signo- 
rina,  but  there  is  one  thing  that  I  know  quite  well 
when  I  see  it,  and  that  is  a  person  who  is  in  love. 
Human  nature  is  the  same  all  over  the  world.  Your 
American  men  can,  after  all,  have  only  the  same  emo- 
tions that  we  have  over  here.  It  is  as  plain  as  the 
dome  on  St.  Peter's — you  may  see  it  from  every  di- 
rection. That  man  over  there  is  in  love  with  you! 
Ecco!  " 

"  He  is  nothing  of  the  sort !  •  You  Italians  are 
mad  on  the  subject.  I  told  you  you  could  not  under- 
stand. You  are  different,  that  is  all." 

Allegro  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  As  you  please ! 
I  tell  you  he  is !  And  what  is  more,  you  are  in  love 
with  him.  After  all " — he  put  up  his  hand  to  ward 
off  interruption — "  I  had  much  rather  think  you  de- 
clined my  own  suit  because  your  affections  were  al- 
ready given  before  I  was  so  unhappy  as  to  see  you, 


198          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

than  that,  while  your  heart  w.as  still  free,  you  would 
not  consider  me." 

Nina  was  so  surprised  that  for  a  few  minutes  she 
was  unable  to  answer.  Allegro  had  never  said  a 
word  to  her  about  the  proposal  which  had  been  made 
by  his  family.  Up  to  that  moment  she  had  thought 
he  did  not  himself  know  of  it. 

"  Heart  ?  "  she  said,  bewildered.  "  Did  you  put 
any  heart  into  the  offer  that  was  made?  None  has 
ever  been  shown  to  me." 

"  Is  there  a  chance  of  your  considering  my  suit?  " 
He  asked  it  very  seriously. 

Nina  shook  her  head,  and  Allegro  sighed  as  though 
dejected;  then,  having  paid  her  this  compliment,  he 
became  cheerful  again  and  his  candor  was  as  deli- 
cious as  it  was  astonishing. 

"Shall  I  tell  you?  Yes,  I  will!  If  you  had 
said  *  yes,'  I  should  have  found  it  very  easy  to 
love  you.  As  you  won't  accept  my  name,  how- 
ever  " 

"  You  don't  love  me,  is  that  it  ?  "  Nina  burst  out 
laughing,  and  Allegro  joined  light-heartedly,  as 
he  nodded  his  agreement.  Their  gayety  attracted 
the  attention  of  their  neighbors,  and  for  a  while  the 
conversation  became  general.  It  was  suggestive  of 
the  Tower  of  Babel.  Nina  had  turned  to  Porter 
with  a  remark  in  English,  but  Allegro  added  to  it 
in  Italian.  Tornik,  whose  Italian  was  only  slightly 
more  villainous  than  his  English,  chimed  in  across 
the  corner  of  the  table  in  French,  but  he  soon  for- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          199 

got  himself  and  broke  into  German.  Nina  found 
herself  mixing  her  sentences  like  Neapolitan  ice 
cream  into  four  languages,  until  finally  she  put  her 
hands  over  her  ears  and  exclaimed,  "  Attendez, 
aspetarre,  warten  sie  nur,  oh,  do  let  us  decide  on 
one  tongue  at  a  time ! "  They  all  laughed,  and 
then,  as  is  usual  among  a  group  of  various  national- 
ities, the  conversation  went  on  in  French. 

Finally,  Tornik  and  Allegro  got  into  a  discussion 
about  the  Austrian  influence  in  Italy,  and  Nina  was 
left  tete-a-tete  with  Eliot  Porter. 

She  had  not  met  him  before  coming  to  Rome. 
He  was  a  Californian.  A  Westerner,  she  put  it, 
but  he  answered  her,  "  Not  at  all !  I  am  from  the 
Pacific  coast ! "  He  was  an  agreeable  man,  much 
liked  in  Rome,  and  he  was  writing  a  book  on  Roman 
society,  a  fact  that  greatly  amused  the  Italians. 
There  was  some  mild  and  good-naturedly  satirical 
speculation  about  what  he  was  going  to  put  in  it, 
but  beyond  the  fact  that  he  acknowledged  his  sub- 
ject, nothing  was  known  of  either  his  plot  or  his 
characters. 

"  Do  tell  me  what  you  are  going  to  put  in  your 
book.  Is  it  of  to-day,  or  long  ago  ?  " 

"  The  story  is  to  be  laid  in  Rome,  the  theme 
society,  the  time  the  present." 

• "  How  fascinating !  Ah,  please  tell  me  from 
whom  you  have  drawn  your  heroine,"  Nina  con- 
tinued. "  Is  she  rich  or  poor?  Italian,  I  suppose, 
and  of  course  young  and  beautiful!  Is  the  hero  a 


200         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

noble  duke  or  an  American  on  the  Prisoner  of  Zenda 
or  Graustark  model?  " 

"  Supposing  I  should  tell  you  that  they  were 
yourself,  for  the  one,  and  our  friend  Jack  over  the 
way,  for  the  other  I  " 

The  coupling  of  her  name  with  Derby's  for  the 
second  time  in  less  than  half  an  hour  struck  Nina, 
and  she  became  absent-minded;  then  she  said 
vaguely,  "  But  we  are  not  Italians,  either  of 
us." 

"  Neither  are  my  characters !  I  will  tell  you,"  he 
said,  admitting  her  to  his  confidence,  "  I  am  going 
to  write  of  the  Expatriates — the  people  who,  to 
those  at  home,  are  always  said  to  be  *  abroad.'  The 
story  from  this  side  of  the  water  is  interesting  to 
me.  And  the  Excelsior  is  an  ideal  field  for  observ- 
ing them." 

"  I  see !  "  Then  ingenuously,  "  Are  you  really 
going  to  put  Jack  in  your  book?  " 

Porter  smiled,  amused.  "  He  hardly  corresponds 
to  my  aimless  nomad  wandering  hither  and  yon, 
with  neither  ambition  nor  destination !  By  the  way," 
he  added  abruptly,  "  what  do  you  think  of  Jack?  I 
am  not  asking  this,  mind  you,  just  to  make  conver- 
sation, but  because  I  am  interested  in  him  as  a  na- 
tional type.  I  confess  I  was  beginning  to  think  that 
no  woman  could  care  for  the  men  at  home  as  any 
woman  might  for  the  Europeans,  until  he  came  along 
the  other  day."  There  was  no  doubting  Porter's 
enthusiasm  as  he  added,  "  He  gave  me  back  my  ideals 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          201 

of  my  own  country!  He  is  real,  I  tell  you.  But 
this  trip  he  is  going  to  take  into  Sicily " 

"  There  is  no  danger  in  this  day,  surely ! "  she 
interrupted. 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  of  it,  they  are  pesky  devils !  " 
Then,  appreciating  her  uneasiness,  he  tried  to  re- 
assure her.  "  Jack  will  be  all  right,  he  will  be  well 
protected.  In  fact,  to  show  you  how  little  I  really 
fear  from  the  adventure,  I  am  thinking  of  going 
with  him.  My  work  is  getting  stale,  and  a  week  or 
two  of  change  of  scene  would  set  me  up." 

"  I  don't  see  that  your  going  proves  there  is  no 
danger.  I  should  never  imagine  you  the  type  of  a 
coward." 

Porter  laughed.  "  Thank  you  for  your  good 
opinion  of  my  type.  But  I  am  not  at  all  certain 
about  it  myself.  If  I  thought  I  was  going  to  run 
any  risk  of  being  stabbed  in  the  ribs,  or  riddled  with 
bullets,  I  assure  you  I  would  preserve  my  skin  very 
carefully  by  staying  right  here.  But  to  go  back 
to  John :  Did  you  ever  study  physiognomy  ?  "  He 
glanced  across  at  Derby  as  he  spoke. 

Nina's  lips  broke  into  a  smile,  as  she  answered, 
"No.  Did  you?" 

"  Yes.  I  studied  that,  and  palmistry,  and 
graphology,  too.  Look  at  John — he  has  a  remark- 
ably interesting  head  and  hand.  You  are  quite 
wrong,"  he  answered  an  interjection  of  Nina's,  "  his 
hands  are  far  from  ugly!  Spatulate  fingers  show 
invention  and  energy.  Just  look  at  his  thumb! 


202         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Did  you  ever  see  such  cool-headed  logic  or  a  better 
balanced  will?  Why,  all  in  all,  I  consider  him  the 
best-looking  man  I  know!  There  are  plenty 
with  better  features,  no  doubt,  but  if  I'd  had 
my  choice  as  to  looks,  I  should  have  been  his 
twin." 

Nina  laughed  joyously.  "Do  you  mean  it?" 
It  sounded  incredible  to  her,  yet  she  felt  strangely 
pleased — she  looked  at  John  from  a  new  point  of 
view.  "  I  think  he  has  a  great  many  good  points ; 
there  is  something  strong  and  admirable  about  him, 
but  good-looking — never !  His  features  are  too  un- 
even, too  big-boned." 

"  Just  like  a  woman ! "  exclaimed  Porter  testily. 
"  I  suppose  you  think  that  apology  on  your  other 
side  a  beau  ideal ! " 

Nina  glanced  critically  toward  the  small  features 
and  blond  curls  of  Allegro.  "  No,"  she  said,  "  he  is 
much  too  effeminate." 

"  Then  who  is  your  Adonis  ?  " 

"  The  best-looking  man  I  have  ever  seen  ?  Well 
— I  think  I'd  choose  the  Marchese  di  Valdo."  The 
pink  mounted  over  her  cheeks  into  her  hair,  for 
she  thought  Porter  was  going  to  deride.  To  her 
surprise  he  agreed  with  her. 

"  Of  his  type,  yes,  he  certainly  is  good ;  but  I 
prefer  John's.  I  can  see  how  di  Valdo  would  ap- 
peal to  a  girl,  though  personally  I  should  ask  more 
masculinity,  more  bone  and  sinew." 

Nina     remembered     how     Giovanni     had     nearly 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          203 

choked  the  Great  Dane,  and  she  shuddered  slightly. 
"  Oh,  but  he  is  strong,"  she  exclaimed ;  "  he  is  strong 
as  a  panther!  He  always  makes  me  think  of  Ba- 
gheera  in  the  Jungle  Book." 

"  Bagheera  was  warm-blooded ;  there  was  truth 
and  affection  in  him — for  Mowgli,  at  all  events. 
Your  friend  di  Valdo  is  as  cold  a  proposition  as 
you  could  find." 

Nina  thought  this  last  characterization  absurd, 
and  said  so. 

"  All  right !  "  Porter  answered.  "  You  mark 
my  word.  He  is  a  man  swayed  by  the  emotions  of 
the  moment.  He  has  feeling,  yes — but  no  heart; 
he  has  certain  inborn  principles,  but  they  are  racial 
rather  than  ethical.  His  is  the  code  of  Noblesse 
oblige,  not  of  the  Golden  Rule.  In  a  point  of  honor 
he  is  irreproachable,  but  it  is  he,  himself,  who  de- 
fines the  boundaries  of  his  code." 

He  paused  a  moment  and  continued  in  a  more 
personal  tone:  "I  don't  know  you  very  well,  Miss 
Randolph,  but  you  are  a  girl  from  home.  And — 
excuse  my  frankness — you  are  one  of  our  great  heir- 
esses. I  am  a  stranger  to  you,  arid  that  is  why  I 
am  going  to  say  something — perhaps  all  the  more 
forcefully  because  I  have  only  a  racial  and  not  a 
personal  interest:  but  between  marrying.  Giovanni 
Sansevero — or  that  Austrian  over  yonder — or  the 
golden-headed  ornament  on  your  right,  and  such  a 
man  as  John  Derby,  no  woman  with  an  ounce  of 
sense  could  for  one  minute  hesitate.  The  first,  by 


204         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

the  gift  of  kings,  are  noblemen,  but  John  over  there, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  is  a  man!  " 

Nina  was  so  deeply  stirred  by  his  words  that  she 
sat  for  a  little  while  quite  motionless,  looking  down 
at  her  hands,  which  were  clasped  in  her  lap.  Then, 
before  she  either  looked  up  or  answered,  the  women 
left  the  table. 

In  the  drawing-room,  as  the  other  women  lighted 
their  cigarettes,  Nina  stood  leaning  her  cheek  on  her 
hand  as  ib  rested  against  the  mantel — and  for  some 
time  she  gazed  down  into  the  fire,  while  Porter's 
words  echoed  and  reechoed  through  her  mind. 
When  she  turned  away  from  the  fire  her  attention 
was  caught  by  an  Englishwoman  who  had  thrown 
herself  full  length  on  the  sofa.  Her  person  was  a 
curious  mixture  of  cleanliness  and  untidiness,  her 
face  was  even  polished  by  soap  and  scrubbing,  but 
her  frock,  although  probably  quite  clean,  looked 
anything  but  fresh,  and  lying  down  among  the 
cushions  had  not  improved  her  hair,  which  had  been 
frowzily  frizzed  anyway.  Nina  would  have  thought 
Lady  Dorothy  an  impossible  person  were  it  not  for 
the  "  Lady  "  which,  as  Carpazzi  put  it,  "  was  pushed 
before  the  name." 

In  the  meanwhile  Lady  Dorothy  went  off  into  a 
long  disquisition  upon  the  advisability  of  having 
couches  at  formal  banquets  as  in  the  old  Roman 
days.  The  illustration  which  she  was  at  the 
moment  affording  was  scarcely,  to  Nina's  mind,  en- 
couraging to  her  proposition.  She  smoked  rapidly 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          205 

and  let  the  cigarette  ashes  spill  all  down  the  side  of 
her  neck. 

"  Isn't  it  funny  what  a  little  place  the  world  is  ?  " 
babbled  the  late  Miss  Titherington,  cutting  short 
Lady  Dorothy's  discourse.  "  Here  we  are,  you  and 
I  and  John — just  the  same  as  though  we  were  back 
in  Bar  Harbor!  What  a  lamb  of  a  child  you  used 
to  be!  Only  do  you  remember  the  day  you  nearly 
drowned  me  ?  And  he  had  to  rescue  us  both !  " 

"  Just  fancy  that !  "  said  the  Lady  Dorothy  from 
her  corner  of  the  sofa.  "  However  did  it  happen?  " 

"  The  water  in  Maine  is  so  cold  one  dare  hardly 
go  in.  Nina  was  a  little  girl,  she  got  a  cramp,  and 
clutched  me  around  the  neck." 

"  The  water  cold !  How  very  odd !  I  had  a 
friend  in  St.  Augustine,  who  said  the  water  was 
positively  hot.  I  am  sure  it  must  have  been,  as  my 
friend  has  rheumatism  and  could  never  have  ven- 
tured into  a  cold  bath." 

Lady  Dorothy  lighted  a  fresh  cigarette  and 
waved  the  old  one  helplessly  around  in  her  fingers. 
Nina,  afraid  that  she  would  let  it  fall  upon  the  trail 
of  ashes  down  the  front  of  her  dress,  went  to  take 
it  from  her. 

"  Oh,  thanks."  She  threw  herself  even  further 
back  into  the  cushions  and  now  addressed  her  re- 
marks to  the  Countess  Kate.  She  was  glad  to  get 
away  from  home.  She  declared  London  was  over- 
run this  season  with  enormously,  disgustingly,  rich 
Americans.  No  offense  to  her  hostess  was  meant, 


206         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

but  it  was  really  quite  shameful  whom  one  got  down 
to  associating  with,  and  yet  they  were  so  overloaded 
with  dollars  that  one  might  as  well,  she  supposed, 
gather  in  some  of  the  surplus!  Then  she  coolly 
asked  Nina's  name,  which  she  had  not  caught.  Its 
announcement  had  the  effect  of  an  electric  battery. 
She  raised  herself  on  her  elbows. 

"  The  Earl  of  Eagon  is  looking  for  a  wife,"  she 
announced,  and  then  as  though  the  idea  of  Nina's 
wealth  were  still  more  felt,  she  continued  almost  with 
enthusiasm,  "  And  there  is  the  Duke  of  Norchester 
— his  estates  need  a  fortune  to  keep  up,  but  there 
are  none  finer  in  England." 

Nina's  expression  had  a  curious  little  note  in  it 
that  made  the  Countess  Zoya  cross  the  room  and  sit 
on  the  arm  of  her  chair.  Her  slim  fingers  ran 
lightly  over  Nina's  hair,  "  You  poor  child ! "  she 
said.  "  Ah,  I  am  glad  I  was  never  so  rich.  If  I 
were  so  rich  I  should  be  dreadful!  I  would  never 
believe  in  any  one's  caring  for  me.  I  should  doubt 
even  my  Carlo !  I  could  not  help  it !  " 

"  Don't,"  Nina  said,  as  though  in  pain.  Zoya 
impulsively  put  her  arms  about  her  and  quickly 
changed  the  subject. 

**  I  want  to  tell  you,"  she  said,  "  I  like  your  friend 
the  engineer — is  that  what  he  is  ?  He  is  very  clever, 
is  he  not?  I  am  told  he  is  going  to  relieve  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  poor  Sicilian  miners — is  he?" 

"  Suffering?  "  Nina  repeated,  wondering.  *'  I 
don't  know.  But  it  is  only  a  business  venture,  his 


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mining — not  a  philanthropic  one.  At  least  I  have 
not  heard  about  any  poor  people  who  are  to  be  re- 
lieved." 

Zoya  put  her  hands  over  her  eyes  and  then  her 
ears  as  though  to  shut  out  both  sight  and  sound. 
"  Oh,  it  is  horrible — horrible  in  the  sulphur  mines ! 
You  have  no  idea !  Nowhere  in  all  the  world  is  life 
so  dreadful."  She  shuddered,  "  But  I  feel  sure, 
somehow,  that  your  friend  the  American  will  be  able 
to  do  something." 

They  went  on  talking  until  their  tete-a-tete  was 
interrupted  by  the  men  coming  in  from  the  dining- 
room.  The  servants  brought  in  a  big  card  table. 

"  Are  you  going  to  play  bridge?  "  Nina  asked, 
feeling  that  the  answer  was  obvious. 

But  the  Contessa  Masco,  taking  her  cognac  at  a 
swallow,  glanced  at  Tornik  with  a  laugh.  "  Oh, 
lord,  no !  Nothing  so  dull,  I  hope,  in  this  house !  " 

Derby  joined  Nina,  and  she  looked  up  at  him 
with  pride.  "  I  am  glad  you  are  here  to-night ;  I 

seem  to  be  especially  glad She  broke  off,  but 

her  intonation  conveyed  unspoken  thoughts. 

Derby's  eyes  kindled.  "  Why  especially  ?  Have 
you  a  particular  reason,  really  ?  "  His  heart  beat 
so  hard,  because  of  the  sweetness  in  her  expression, 
that  it  seemed  to  him  she  must  hear  it  pounding, 
that  she  must  look  through  the  mask  he  wore,  and 
read  his  love  for  her. 

But  his  mask  was  impenetrable,  and  Nina  an- 
swered lightly :  "  I  wonder  which  reason  you  would 


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like  me  to  give?  I  wonder  if  it  would  make  any 
real  difference  to  you  whether  I  said  just  glad — or 
glad  because  of  something?  " 

He  forced  himself  to  speak  with  a  stolidity  that 
walled  in  securely  his  threatening  emotions.  "  I  am 
not  a  bit  good  at  guessing  the  meaning  of  sentences 
that  have  no  direct  statement  in  them.  You  see, 
they  are  not  the  kind  my  grammar  book  taught 


me!" 

Nina  smiled.  "  You  like  a  regular,  straight-out, 
simple  sentence  with  one  subject  and  one  predicate, 
don't  you?" 

"  That's  it !  And  as  few  qualifying  clauses  as 
possible." 

"  And  as  your  speech  is,  so  are  your  actions.  No 
time  for  trivalities.  Big,  serious  things !  "  To  her 
surprise  she  felt  a  sharp  pain  in  her  throat. 

"  What  an  old  bear  I  must  seem  to  you " 

His  sentence  broke  off  as  the  Countess  Masco  inter- 
rupted them. 

"  Come  along,  John — you'll  play,  won't  you  ? 
We  are  waiting ! "  Count  Rosso  had  already  de- 
serted Zoya  for  the  green  table. 

"  Do  you  need  me  ?  "  Derby  asked. 

"Of  course  we  do!  The  more  the  jollier;  it  is 
dreadfully  dull  without  a  lot." 

Nina  and  the  Countess  Zoya  sat  apart  talking 
together  until  nearly  midnight.  Finally,  with  a 
yawn,  Zoya  suggested  that  they  try  to  break  up  the 
party.  For  a  little  while  they  looked  on.  Not 


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understanding  the  game  of  baccarat,  Nina  watched 
the  faces  of  the  players. 

Suddenly  she  felt  uneasy  about  her  uncle,  who 
had  taken  a  place  at  the  table.  Knowing  no  reason 
why  he  should  not  play,  she  had  thought  nothing  of 
that.  But  now  he  was  flushed,  and  seemed  very  ex- 
cited. Unconsciously  taking  a  leaf  out  of  her 
aunt's  book,  she  laid  her  hand  on  his  shoulder.  Her 
touch  was,  in  fact,  so  like  that  of  his  wife  that  the 
prince  started  violently,  and  a  short  while  later 
relinquished  his  place. 

After  the  prince  dropped  out  of  the  game  Nina 
still  stood  watching.  The  Countess  Kate  played  as 
placidly  as  though  she  were  dealing  cards  for  "  old 
maid,"  while  her  husband  reminded  Nina  of  a  squir- 
rel sitting  up  and  nibbling  at  a  nut.  Carlo  Olisco 
was  excited  but  not  unnatural.  Porter  looked 
gloomy  and  taciturn.  Minotti  and  Allegro  were 
both  tense  and  keen,  the  former  arrogant,  the  latter 
flushed  and  excited.  John  Derby,  like  the  Count- 
ess Kate,  played  exactly  as  he  used  to  play  Jack 
Straws  or  besique,  on  rainy  days  in  the  country. 

From  where  she  had  been  standing  Nina  could 
see  only  the  top  of  Tornik's  head  and,  obeying  an 
idle  impulse  of  curiosity,  she  crossed  to  the  opposite 
side  of  the  table.  But  no  sooner  had  she  caught 
sight  of  his  face  than  she  started  as  though  some 
one  had  dashed  cold  water  over  her.  Tornik!  It 
was  unbelievable!  His  eyes  glowed  like  coals;  his 
lips,  half  opened,  looked  dry  and  burnt,  as  with  that 


210          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

drawing-in  motion  of  the  confirmed  gambler  he 
stretched  out  his  trembling  fingers  to  grasp  the  last 
of  the  evening's  winnings. 

Nina  was  not  in  love  with  him — she  had  never 
even  for  a  moment  fancied  that  she  was.  But  never- 
theless the  revelation  of  his  greed  struck  at  her 
pride,  and  she  seemed  to  see  herself,  or  rather  her 
own  fortune,  being  grasped  with  precisely  that 
avidity  by  those  same  long,  eager  fingers.  "  He, 
too ! "  were  the  words  that  framed  themselves  in  her 
thoughts.  Tornik,  at  least,  had  seemed  disinter- 
ested, but  it  was  only  her  gold  that  he  was  after — 
like  all  the  rest. 

She  turned  away  abruptly.  The  Count  Olisco 
left  the  table  and,  as  her  uncle  was  already  waiting, 
Zoya  and  she  said  good-night  to  the  Mascos  and 
left. 

On  the  way  home,  Sansevero  was  decidedly  nerv- 
ous. Something  was  wrong,  that  was  certain — he 
was  as  transparent  as  crystal;  a  child  could  not 
have  shown  trouble  more  plainly.  They  drove  the 
Oliscos  home,  but  after  they  had  left  them,  Nina  put 
her  hand  on  her  uncle's  coat  sleeve. 

**  Can't  you — tell  me?  "  she  asked  him. 

Sansevero  started,  then  shook  his  head.  "  It  is 
nothing !  "  he  said.  But  he  changed  his  mind  almost 
immediately,  took  his  breath  as  though  to  speak,  and 
stopped  again.  Nina's  manner  had  been  very 
sweet,  very  sympathetic.  The  thought  of  con- 
fiding in  the  girl  beside  him  had  not  entered  his 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         211 

head ;  but  he  might  as  well  have  tried  to  dam  up  a 
spring,  as  to  keep  his  confidence  from  overflowing 
at  the  first  words  of  kindness.  He  seized  her  hand, 
and  his  fingers  during  a  moment  of  nervous  in- 
decision beat  a  tattoo  upon  her  glove — then  he  let 
her  hand  drop  again. 

"  I  am  in  the  most  difficult  situation." 

"  Yes ?  "  Nina  encouraged.  "  Can't  I  help? 

— Oh,  I  wish  I  could!  " 

"  No !  "  He  threw  himself  into  the  farthest  pos- 
sible corner  of  the  carriage.  "  No,  no !  I  could 
not  let  you  do  that !  " 

Quickly  a  suspicion  of  the  difficulty  crossed  her 
mind.  "  Uncle  Sandro,  I  want  you  to  tell  me !  You 
know  that  I  love  Aunt  Eleanor  better  than  almost 
any  one  in  the  world.  If  to  help  you  is  to  help  her 
— and  it  is  in  my  power — I  really  think  you  ought 
to  tell  me." 

He  weakened,  hesitated.  "  Give  me  your  promise 
you  will  not  tell  Leonora ?  " 

"  You  have  it ! "  She  put  her  hand  back  into 
his. 

"  It  is  this,  then :  I  am  the  weakest  man  imagin- 
able. To-night  I  had  no  idea  of  playing;  I  held 
out  for  some  time,  but  the  temptation  was  too  strong 
at  the  end.  Also  what  I  lost  was  very  little,  but  the 
money  was  a  sum  we  had  put  aside  to  pay  household 
expenses.  If  I  do  not  pay  them,  Leonora  must 
know  of  it." 

Between  the  lines  Nina  divined  a  good  deal  of  the 


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whole  story.  Other  vague  suspicions  that  had  come 
to  her  here  and  there  helped  somewhat  to  the  conclu- 
sion. 

Already  they  had  driven  into  the  courtyard  and 
the  footman  was  holding  open  the  door.  Nina 
jumped  out  quickly  and  entered  the  palace.  In  the 
antechamber  she  stopped  for  her  uncle  to  catch  up 
with  her.  "  Just  wait  a  moment,"  she  said ;  "  we 
can  finish  our  conversation  quickly."  She  spoke 
rapidly  and  in  English. 

"How  much  is  it?" 

"Five  hundred  lire." t 

She  caught  her  breath.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say 
.that  you — the  Prince  Sansevero,  the  owner  of  this 
palace,  are  in  need  of  a  hundred  dollars,  and  don't 
know  where  to  get  it?  You  shall  have  it  to-morrow, 
the  first  thing." 

Then  suddenly  she  added :  "  Uncle  Sandro — I 
want  you  to  tell  me  something !  Will  you  swear  on 
your  honor  to  answer  the  truth?  If  you  deceive  me, 
I  will  never  forgive  you  to  my  dying  day ! " 

He  looked  at  her,  puzzled.  There  was  no  doubt 
as  to  the  gravity  of  her  tone.  "  I  will  answer  if  I 
can."  He  said  it  not  without  alarm. 

"Does  your  brother  gamble?  Is  he  also  like 
Tornik  and  you  ? "  She  had  no  thought  for  the 
stigma  of  her  words,  and  Sansevero  was  not  so  small 
that  he  resented  them. 

"  No.  I  can  answer  that  easily  enough.  Gio- 
vanni has  not  one  drop  of  the  gambling  blood. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         213 

That  I  can  swear  to  you  by  the  name  of  my 
mother ! "  He  made  the  sign  of  the  cross. 

Nina  sighed  with  relief.  "  I'll  send  Celeste  to 
you  with  the  money  in  the  morning,  and  you  can 
trust  me — I  will  never  let  Aunt  Eleanor  know ! " 
She  said  it  sympathetically  and  kindly  enough,  but 
her  tone  was  a  little  constrained.  "  Good-night !  " 

And  then  quickly  she  left  him.  She  felt  sure  that 
her  uncle  had  spoken  the  truth,  and  that  Giovanni 
was  not  a  gambler;  but  as  she  went  down  the  long 
corridors  she  felt  a  sharp  contraction  in  her  throat. 
"  Dear — poor — precious  Auntie  Princess !  "  she 
whispered  to  herself. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

FAVORITA   DRIVES    A    BARGAIN 

AS  the  winter  progressed,  Favorita's  temper 
showed  so  little  improvement  that  those  whose 
duty  brought  them  in  contact  with  her  at 
the  theatre  were  on  the  verge  of  resigning  their 
posts.  Her  dresser  had  a  thoroughly  cowed  ex- 
pression; her  manager  consumed  more  black  cigars 
than  were  good  for  him;  the  corps  de  ballet  had 
hysterics  singly  and  indignation  councils  en  masse. 
In  fact,  the  call-boy,  who  seemed  to  enjoy  tor- 
menting her,  was  the  only  member  of  the  company 
who  took  her  rages  cheerfully. 

Finally  even  Giovanni  became  uneasy;  a  well-bred 
woman  could  be  counted  on  in  given  circumstances 
to  do  thus  and  so,  but  Favorita  was  of  lowest  peas- 
ant birth :  her  people  were  of  the  mountain  districts, 
so  primitive  in  thought  and  habit  that  her  early 
training  had  taught  her  obedience  to  nothing  higher 
than  impulse.  Superficially,  she  submitted  to  the 
dictates  of  civilization,  just  as  a  half -wild  animal 
submits  to  the  control  of  his  trainer.  And  in  a 
very  real  sense  Giovanni  occupied,  in  relation  to 
her,  the  trainer's  position.  He  was  the  force  that 
held  her  in  check;  but  though  to  the  audience  of 

214 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         315 

the  world  he  appeared  perfectly  at  ease,  a  definite 
apprehensiveness  underlay  his  seeming  composure. 

Matters  at  last  came  to  a  crisis.  Giovanni  was 
about  to  leave  the  palace  one  morning  a  day  or  two 
after  the  Masco  dinner,  when  a  neatly  dressed 
woman  passed  him  on  the  grand  stairway.  She  was 
wearing  a  thick  veil,  but  he  had  an  eye  for  outline 
and  he  knew  that  there  was  only  one  woman  in 
Rome  with  just  that  half-floating  lightness  of  move- 
ment. At  once  he  blocked  her  way. 

She  was  forced  to  halt ;  but  her  feet  did  not  stand 
quite  still,  and  there  was  an  effect  of  briefly  sus- 
pended motion  in  her  attitude,  as  though  she  sought 
a  chance  to  dart  past  him.  » 

"  Good-morning,  signorina ! "  Giovanni's  ur- 
banity was  for  the  benefit  of  the  footmen.  For  a 
few  seconds  there  was  a  straightening  of  her  figure; 
poised  for  flight,  she  held  her  head  a  little  to  one 
side  as  she  swiftly  scanned  his  face. 

Giovanni  dropped  his  voice.  "  I  was  just  on  my 
way  to  see  you.  Come,  car  a  mia"  he  said  per- 
suasively. "  I  have  something  I  want  to  talk  over 
with  you — it  is  impossible  here  with  lackeys  listen- 
ing to  everything  we  may  say.  Come,  dear." 

She  looked  at  him  a  moment,  wavering,  then 
shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  Very  well,"  she  said, 
and  descended  the  stairs  at  his  side.  They  crossed 
the  wide  hall,  and  she  stopped  to  gaze  about  it  in 
wonder  and  curiosity,  even  though  she  did  not  ap- 
preciate the  splendor  of  its  proportions.  The  great 


216         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

baldachino,  of  blue  and  silver,  surmounting  the  San- 
severo  arms,  held  her  attention. 

"  Do  the  broken  silver  chains  in  your  coat  of  arms 
represent  mercy  or  weakness  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Both,  probably,"  he  answered  grimly,  as  he 
caught  the  sound  of  an  automobile  chugging  in  the 
courtyard.  Feeling  sure  that  it  was  Nina's  car, 
he  slipped  his  arm  through  Favorita's  to  urge  her 
forward,  whereupon  she  grew  suspicious  and  lagged 
purposely.  She  looked  deliberately  about,  as 
though  she  were  a  tourist  intent  upon  finding  every 
object  starred  in  Baedeker.  To  his  inward  rage 
and  chagrin,  Giovanni  realized  his  mistake  in  hav- 
ing attempted  to  hurry  her,  and  now  changed  his 
tactics.  Although  his  every  nerve  was  strained 
to  catch  the  sound  of  Nina's  approaching  footfall, 
he  went  into  a  long,  prosy  dissertation  upon  the  his- 
tory of  the  ceiling,  dwelling  purposely  upon  the 
dullest  facts  he  could  think  of,  until  his  tormentor 
was  glad  enough  to  leave. 

Once  outside  the  building,  Giovanni  breathed 
more  freely,  although  the  sight  of  the  automobile 
confirmed  his  apprehension.  Hailing  a  cab,  he  put 
Favorita  into  it  and  got  in  after  her.  They  had 
not  gone  more  than  five  hundred  yards  when  Nina, 
alone  in  the  car,  passed  them.  Giovanni  had 
stooped  over  quickly  so  that  she  might  not  recog- 
nize him;  but  Favorita  took  no  notice  of  this, 
or  anything  else,  and  they  drove  on  in  a  silence 
broken  only  by  occasional  and  casual  remarks.  It 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          217 

was  not  until  they  were  safely  within  her  apart- 
ment that  he  demanded : 

"  And  now,  Fava,  perhaps  you  will  (have  the 
goodness  to  explain  to  me  what  you  were  doing  at 
the  Palazzo  Sansevero  when  I  saw  you,  and  how  you 
got  past  the  portiere?  " 

"  At  least  it  shows  you  that  what  I  try  to  do  I 
accomplish,"  she  retorted  with  an  air  of  bravado. 
She  leaned  her  elbows  on  a  little  table,  looking  across 
at  Giovanni,  her  lips  parted,  her  eyes  dancing. 
"  Do  you  wish  to  hear?  Very  well.  I  have  a 
friend  who  gives  the  American  heiress  lessons  in 
Italian.  She  says  it  is  easy — one  has  only  to  talk 
Italian  and  make  her  talk,  and  tell  her  when  she 
makes  mistakes.  My  friend  is  sick.  She  sent  a 
letter,  which  I  intercepted,  and  I  went  in  her  place. 
Why  not?  "  Then  suddenly  her  little  teeth  locked 
tightly,  and  she  spoke  between  them  savagely — "  I'd 
be  a  teacher  worth  employing.  I  could  talk  Italian 
to  her  that  she  would  never  forget!  Nor  would 
she  forget  me,  either !  " 

Giovanni's  teeth  locked  quite  as  tightly  as  hers. 
"  Will  you  hush?  You  must  be  insane!  I  told  you 
from  the  beginning  that  I  would  not  advertise  my- 
self with  you.  I  told  you  also  that  if  you  made  a 
scene,  or  if  you  ever  tried  to  interfere  with  my 
family  or  my  private  life,  at  that  moment  all  would 
end  between  us."  As  he  spoke,  Favorita  looked 
frightened,  but  in  a  flash  her  manner  changed  com- 
pletely. Long  association  with  him  had  not  been 


218         THE     TITLE    MARKET 

without  its  lessons,  and  she  answered  as  sweetly  as 
though  no  disagreement  had  ever  come  between 
them;  as  though  there  were  no  incongruity  between 
their  suspended  discussion  and  her  interrupting 
sentence.  "  Giovannino,"  she  cooed,  "  I  have 
had  a  great  offer,  an  astounding  offer  from 
Vienna." 

He  saw  his  opportunity.  His  manner  therefore, 
changed  as  rapidly  as  hers  had  done,  and  with 
every  appearance  of  sympathy  and  interest  he 
asked  for  her  news.  She  told  him  with  triumph  the 
details  of  her  offer  from  the  manager  of  a  Viennese 
theatre  for  a  ten  weeks'  engagement  at  a  stupendous 
salary. 

"  You  must  accept — by  all  means ! "  Not  a 
trace  of  the  relief  he  felt  crept  into  his  expression; 
he  looked  sad,  but  thoroughly  resigned.  "  It  is 
time,"  he  added  cleverly,  "  that  you  should  make  a 
name  for  yourself  that  is  cosmopolitan  and  not 
alone  of  Italy."  ' 

So  far  they  had  been  sitting  on  either  side  of  a 
small  table,  but  now  Favorita  arose  and  went  around 
to  him.  Pushing  the  table  away,  she  sat  on  his 
knee,  and,  with  one  arm  about  his  neck,  held  up 
his  chin  with  her  other  hand.  Then,  deliberately, 
she  looked  into  his  eyes  with  that  level,  determined 
steadiness  which  makes  no  compromise.  She  spoke 
very  quietly,  so  quietly  that  he  was  more  than  ever 
uneasy.  Her  turbulence  was  annoying,  but  this 
calmness  was  ominous. 


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"  I  shall  accept  the  offer  on  one  condition : — you 
go  to  Vienna  with  me ! " 

Giovanni  looked  quite  as  though  the  gates  of 
Paradise  were  opening  before  him.  Even  Favorita 
believed  his  enthusiasm  genuine  as  he  exclaimed, 
"  Ah,  that  would  be  charming ! "  Then  he  seemed 
to  be  considering  the  matter  eagerly.  "  That  I 
want  to  go  with  you — of  that  there  can  be  no 
doubt!  I  am  merely  wondering  how  it  can  be 
managed." 

Now  that  she  seemed  to  be  getting  her  own  way, 
and  her  jealousy  was  allayed,  Favorita  was  soft, 
and  sweet,  and  affectionate  as  a  little  black  cat. 
"  Rosso  is  going  to  Hungary,"  she  purred.  "  You 
can  easily  say  you  are  going  with  him  on  his  trip, 
whereas  you  can  really  be  in  Vienna ! " 

"  That  sounds  perfect !  "  he  returned  gayly ;  "  at 
least  you  can  accept  the  manager's  offer ! " 

"  Do  you  promise  to  go  with  me  ?  You  must 
swear  it ! "  He  hesitated  as  he  rapidly  turned  the 
situation  over  in  his  mind.  Now  that  he  had  de- 
termined to  marry  Nina,  the  main  thing  was  to  keep 
Favorita  away,  for,  should  she  have  an  opportunity 
to  unburden  her  heart  to  the  heiress,  that  would  be 
the  end  of  his  matrimonial  chances.  But  if  he 
could  get  the  dancer  to  Vienna,  and  keep  her  there, 
then  find  an  excuse  for  at  least  a  short  absence  from 
her,  he  could  come  back  to  Rome,  win  Nina,  be  mar- 
ried at  once — and  then  let  come  what  would!  An 
independent  American  girl  would  throw  him  over, 


220         THE   TITLE    MARKET 

he  knew  that;  but  a  wife  would  be  different!  A 
wife  would  have  to  forgive. 

"  Will  yo'i  promise  ?  "  repeated  Favorita. 

"  Yes,  I  promise,"  he  said.  "  Come,  we  will  fill 
in  the  contract!" 


CHAPTER    XIX 

A  CHALLENGE,  AND  AN  ANSWER 

NINA  had  intended  taking  her  Italian  teacher 
out  with  her  in  the  automobile.  She  did  this 
quite  often,  as  it  was  as  easy  to  practice 
Italian  conversation  in  a  motor  car  as  any- 
where else.  But  after  half  an  hour — Favorita  was 
nearly  that  late — she  had  given  up  waiting  and  tele- 
phoned Zoya  Olisco  suggesting  that  they  two  spend 
the  day  at  Tivoli.  Zoya  agreed,  and  Nina  was  on 
her  way  to  fetch  her  when  she  passed  Giovanni  and 
Favorita.  But  she  neither  saw  the  former  nor 
recognized  the  latter. 

It  was  after  six  o'clock  when  Nina  returned  from 
Tivoli,  and  she  had  to  hurry  to  dress  for  an  early 
dinner,  as  it  was  the  Sanseveros*  regular  Lenten 
evening  at  home. 

Nina  particularly  liked  these  informal  receptions, 
where  the  company  was  composed,  for  the  most 
part,  of  really  interesting,  agreeable  people.  There 
was  always  music,  generally  by  amateur  perform- 
ers; occasionally  there  was  some  other  form  of  im- 
promptu entertainment,  an  impersonation  or  a 
recitation.  Throughout  the  evening  there  was  the 
simplest  sort  of  buffet  supper:  tea,  bouillon — a 
claret  cup,  perhaps,  and  possibly  chocolate,  little 

221 


222         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

cakes,  and  sandwiches;  never  more.  But  the  prin- 
cess was  one  of  those  hostesses  whose  personality 
thoroughly  pervades  a  house;  a  type  which  is  be- 
coming rare  with  every  change  in  our  modern  civili- 
zation, and  without  which  people  might  as  well  con- 
gregate in  a  hotel  parlor.  Each  guest  at  the 
Palazzo  Sansevero  carried  away  the  impression  that 
not  only  had  he  been  welcome  himself,  but  that  his 
presence  had  added  materially  to  the  enjoyment  of 
others. 

Early  in  the  evening  Nina  was  standing  with 
Giovanni  a  little  apart.  Giovanni  was  unusually 
quiet,  and  both  had  fallen  into  reverie,  from  which 
Nina  was  aroused  by  the  sudden  announcement  of  a 
jarring  name.  Like  the  ceaseless  beating  of  the 
waves  upon  a  beach,  she  had  heard  the  long  rolling 
titles,  "  Sua  Excellenza  la  principessa  di  Malio," 
"  II  Conte  e  la  Contessa  Casabella,"  "  Donna  Fran- 
cesca  Dobini,"  "  Sua  Excellenza  il  Duca  e  la  Duch- 
essa  Astarte,"  and  then — "  Messa  Smeet !  " 

Nina  felt  a  swift  pity  for  the  beautiful  woman 
who  was  forced  to  suffer  the  ignominy  of  being  thus 
announced.  She  had  herself  been  daily  conscious  of 
that  same  flatness  when,  after  the  long  announce- 
ment of  her  aunt's  and  uncle's  names,  came  the 
blankness  of  "Messa  Randolf." 

And  in  that  moment,  divining  the  impression 
made  upon  her  mind,  Giovanni  seized  his  oppor- 
tunity. His  eyes  looked  ardently  into  hers,  his 
smile  was  transporting  as,  with  all  the  warmth  of 


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which  his  voice  was  capable,  he  said,  "  Donna  Nina 
Sansevero,  M archesa  di  Valdo !  " 

Nina's  heart  fluttered  strangely,  her  will  was 
swayed  by  the  moment's  thrill,  as  she  heard  him  con- 
tinuing :  "  It  can  surely  not  surprise  you  to  hear 
in  spoken  words  what  has  long  been  in  my  heart 

to "  But  his  sentence  was  broken  off  abruptly, 

for  a  sudden  thinning  of  the  crush  revealed  the  Con- 
tessa  Potensi  close  beside  them.  Heedless  of  Nina, 
the  contessa  demanded  that  Giovanni  take  her  into 
the  supper  room  for  a  cup  of  tea,  and  Nina  was 
left  with  Carpazzi,  who  had  at  that  moment  also 
joined  them.  He  took  no  notice  of  her  absent- 
mindedness  and  kept  the  conversation  going  briskly 
without  much  help  from  her,  until  gradually  she 
became  able  to  focus  her  attention  upon  him. 

He  talked  of  many  things  and  finally  of  Cecelia 
Potenzi.  That  he  should  have  spoken  the  name 
of  the  girl  he  loved  was  quite  foreign  to  his,  or  in 
fact  to  any,  Italian  nature.  But  by  now  Nina  had 
become  thoroughly  interested  in  what  he  was  telling 
her  and  her  sympathetic  eyes  had  a  way  of  urging 
confidences,  and  besides,  as  Carpazzi  knew,  she  was 
very  fond  of  Cecelia.  He  spoke  quite  frankly 
therefore  of  his  hopes  and  plans.  He  was  des- 
perately interested  in  Derby's  mining  project  be- 
cause he  owned  a  piece  of  property  within  a  few 
miles  of  Vencata  and  if  the  Sansevero  sulphur  mines 
turned  out  well  probably  all  the  land  in  the  neigh- 
borhood would  also  be  leased  by  Derby's  company, 


224         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

and  it  might  be  that  he  and  Cecelia  could  be 
married. 

Nina  had  already  observed  the  young  girl  in  ques- 
tion and  she  and  Carpazzi  made  their  way  toward 
her.  Gradually  other  young  people  joined  them 
until  a  merry  group  was  formed  at  that  side  of 
the  room. 

The  music  at  that  moment  was  by  a  young 
violinist,  a  protege  of  the  Princess  Sansevero's  (a 
brother,  by  the  way,  of  the  peasant  Marcella,  whose 
marriage  to  Pedro  the  princess  had  arranged). 
The  boy  had  real  talent,  and  the  princess  had  de- 
nied herself  not  a  few  things  in  order  to  help  him 
complete  his  education. 

At  the  close  of  his  second  selection  the  young 
violinist  came  over  to  her,  with  that  look  of  de- 
voted allegiance  which  cannot  be  imitated,  and  the 
princess  held  out  her  hand  for  him  to  kiss.  "  I 
am  so  pleased  with  your  success,"  she  said  to  him. 
"  Come,  I  want  to  present  you  to  the  Duchessa  As- 
tarte,  who  was  much  delighted  with  your  playing." 
Smiling,  she  led  him  away. 

The  young  man  traversed  the  rooms  with  perfect 
ease  and  unconsciousness — this  peasant  boy  who 
four  years  previously  had  run  ragged  and  bare- 
footed, begging  for  soldos  from  the  tourists  who 
were  driving  out  to  Torre  Sansevero!  From  one 
of  the  doorways  Sansevero  watched  them.  "  Per 
Dio,  she  is  wonderful,  my  Leonora ! "  he  exclaimed 
to  the  Countess  Masco,  whom  he  had  taken  to  the 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          225 

supper  room.  "  Look  what  she  has  made  of  that 
ragamuffin !  You  Americans  are  an  extraordinary 
people."  The  countess,  as  she  watched  the  prince's 
open  admiration  of  his  wife,  showed  the  finest,  the 
most  generous  side  of  her  cheerful  nature.  Her 
expression  was  scarcely  less  admiring  than  his 
own. 

"  I'd  like  well  enough  to  take  all  the  credit  for 
my  country,"  she  returned,  with  her  usual  good  hu- 
mor, "  but  in  Eleanor's  case  it  is  the  woman  and 

not  the  nationality  that  is  wonderful "  Then 

she  added  brusquely,  "  I'm  glad  you  appreciate 
her."  The  next  moment  she  tossed  the  topic  aside 
and  discoursed  noisily  of  the  latest  Roman  gossip. 

About  this  time  the  Count  and  Countess  Olisco 
were  announced.  Seeing  Derby,  who  had  arrived 
just  ahead  of  them,  Zoya  walked  up  to  him  with- 
out hesitation  or  manoeuvre.  "  I  should  like  to  talk 
to  you,"  she  said ;  "  will  you  take  me  to  a  seat  ? 
There  is  one  over  there." 

He  gave  her  his  arm  and  led  her  to  a  sofa  at 
the  far  end  of  the  room.  "  Have  you  been  out 
to  Torre  Sansevero?  "  she  asked  when  they  had  sat 
down. 

"  No.  We  had  planned  to  motor  out  next  week, 
but  I  must  go  to  Sicily  to-morrow,  so  the  motor 
trip  is  postponed  until  I  come  back.  You  asked 
as  though  you  had  something  special  in  mind.  Had 
you  ?  " 

"  Yes.     I  might  as  well  tell  you — though  maybe 


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you  know — there  is  a  rumor  that  a  Sansevero  paint- 
ing— the  Raphael  Madonna — has  been  sold  out  of 
the  country.  The  way  I  know  is  secret;  but 
through  somebody  connected  with  the  Government 
I  have  learned  that  there  are  grave  suspicions 
against  the  prince." 

Derby  gave  her  his  full  attention,  but  said  noth- 
ing. "  Everybody  knows,"  continued  the  contessa, 
"  that  he  has  spent  all  his  wife's  money  in  gambling, 
and  that  they  have  sold  everything  that  is  not  cov- 
ered by  the  family  entail."  Her  listener  did  not 
know  it,  but  his  face  betrayed  no  surprise.  "  This 
picture,  they  say,  has  been  smuggled  out  of  the 
country  to  a  rich  American."  Her  face  grew  troubled 
and  she  spoke  lower  and  more  distinctly.  "  I  do 
not  find  it  possible  to  think  that  Sansevero  did  such 
a  thing.  He  is  weak,  if  you  like;  he  would  fall 
into  temptation ;  he  might  gamble  or  make  love  to 
a  pretty  woman  " — she  shrugged  her  shoulders — 
"  but  that  he  would  do  anything  really  against  the 
law,  I  don't  believe.  Yet — I  have  never  seen  such 
furs  as  the  princess  wears  this  winter.  Can't  you 
find  out  about  the  picture?  Everybody  believes  it 
is  in  America.  Think  what  it  would  be  if  San- 
severo were  put  in  prison !  But  I  am  sure  you  will 
set  everything  straight." 

"  Your  faith  in  me  is  flattering,  to  say  the  least," 
he  laughed.  "  But  you  seem  to  think  that  finding 
an  object  in  America  is  as  simple  as  though  it  were 
mislaid  in  a  fishing  village.  Do  you  realize  the 


THE   TITLE   MARKET         227 

vastness  of  the  territory  which  I  am  to  search  in 
the  twinkling  of  an  eye?  " 

"  No,  no !  You  must  not  laugh.  I  am  very- 
serious.  I  know  that  America  is  a  land  in  which 
everything  may  be  accomplished,  even  though  I 
may  have  a  false  idea  of  its  size.  And  in  you,  as 
an  American,  my  faith  is  unbounded.  You  see,  I 
feel  convinced  that  it  all  depends  on  you !  "  Then, 
under  the  impulsion  of  her  enthusiasm  she  clapped 
her  hands  together  as  she  exclaimed :  "  Oh,  I  am 
sure  you  will  clear  the  prince!  And  then,  like  the 
hero  in  all  good  story  books,  win  the  reward." 

"  And  the  reward  ?  "  he  queried.  "  What  is  it 
to  be?  Unfortunately,  you  are  asking  me  to  save 
a  prince — a  poor  prince  at  that,  with  no  favors 
to  bestow.  In  the  good  story  books  it  is  always  a 
beautiful  princess.  To  be  sure,"  he  added,  "  the 
princess  is  as  beautiful  as  one  could  wish,  but  alas! 
she  is  married." 

"  I  do  not  find  you  at  all  amiable,"  the  contessa 
pouted.  "  I  am  serious — very  serious,  and  you 
make  fun.*' 

"  Not  at  all.  I  am  very  serious,  and  you  talk 
of  fairy  tales.  Still,  if  you  are  my  fairy  god- 
mother, there  is  no  knowing  what  stroke  of  fortune 
may  await  me  in  Sicily."  Then,  changing  his  tone, 
he  said  earnestly :  "  I  am  really  sorry,  but  I  am 
afraid  I  shall  have  to  leave  the  picture  question 
until  I  come  back." 

"You  are  going  straight  off  to  Sicily?" 


228         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  Yes." 

"  To  be  gone  how  long?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  I  have  no  idea.  Weeks,  per- 
haps. Months,  very  likely;  why  do  you  ask?" 

"  May  I  say  something — something  very  frank 
to  you?  "  Zoya  leaned  forward  with  a  sudden  di- 
rect impulse. 

"  Say  what  you  please,  by  all  means ! "  Derby 
braced  himself  for  her  remark,  but  even  so  he  col- 
ored as  she  said :  "  Are  you  in  love  with  Nina  ? 
Please,  don't  be  angry ;  I  don't  ask  you  to  answer. 
But  if  you  are,  I  can't  see  why  you  go  away  to 
work  mines  and  such  things.  I  should  have  mar- 
ried her  long  ago  had  I  been  you." 

Derby's  eyes  blazed.  "  Do  you  mean  I  should 
try  to  marry  her  and  live  on  her  money  ?  " 

"Why  not?  Since  she  has  enough  for  two — 
enough  for  twenty!  There  is  no  need  to  be  so 
furious.  Per  I'amore  di  Dio!  You  Americans 
have  always  the  ears  up,  listening  for  a  sound  that 
you  can  fly  at ! "  Languorously  she  leaned  back 
among  the  cushions  of  the  sofa.  "  It  is  all  so 
silly — your  idea  of  life."  And  then  she  stopped 
and  looked  at  him  curiously.  "  What  is  your  idea 
of  life?" 

"Life?  One  might  put  it  in  three  words:  One 
must  work ! " 

Zoya  shook  her  head — she  did  it  charmingly. 
"  No,  no,"  she  said  softly ;  "  you  are  altogether 
wrong — though  I  also  can  put  it  in  three  words. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          229 

Life  lies  in  this:     One  must  love.     That's  all  there 


is 


I  '» 


The  conversation  ended  there,  for  the  Duke 
Scorpa  and  Count  Masco  came  up  to  speak  to  the 
contessa.  Derby  arose  and  was  about  to  leave 
when  the  duke  stopped  him.  Masco  sat  down  to 
talk  with  Zoya,  and  Scorpa  spoke  to  Derby  in  an 
undertone.  "  I  hear  you  are  going  to  Sicily  to- 
morrow? " 

"  Yes,  I  leave  early  in  the  morning." 
"  Take  my   advice " — his   glance   was  sinister— 
"  and  stay  away." 

Derby   smiled   frankly.     "  May   I   ask  why? " 
"  Because  your  process  will  not  work." 
"  That  might  be  taken  in  two  ways,"  Derby  re- 
joined: "either  that  you  believe  my  patents  use- 
less, or  else  that  some  means  will  be  taken  to  pre- 
vent my  trying  them.     I  rather  wonder — after  our 
conversation    on    the    subject — if    you    intend    a 
threat?  "     He  spoke  without  stress  of  feeling,  quite 
simply,  in  fact. 

The  duke's  unctuous  smile  was  not  wholly  pleas- 
ant to  see.  "  That  is  for  you  to  decide.  To-mor- 
row morning  you  intend  to  go.  That  is  not  far 
off;  but  you  have  until  then  to  reconsider  your  re- 
fusal to  sell  me  your  patents.  I  made  you  a  fair 
offer,  which  I  should  in  your  place  accept.  How- 
ever, if  you  go  to  Sicily  " — he  spread  out  his  hands 
with  a  shrug — "  I  shall  have  warned  you,  and  what- 
ever comes  will  be  off  my  conscience." 


230          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

For  answer  Derby  spoke  quietly,  but  with  clear, 
level  distinctness.  "  I  go  to-morrow  to  Vencata,  to 
work  a  piece  of  land  which  is  the  property  of  the 
Prince  and  Princess  Sansevero.  As  their  repre- 
sentative, I  am  vested  with  every  legal  right  to  ap- 
ply my  invention  to  the  mine  known  as  the  *  Little 
Devil.'  And  I  may  add " — he  put  it  casually — 
"  that  back  of  me  is  the  full  strength  and  protec- 
tion of  the  United  States  Government."  He 
looked  straight  into  the  small  rat-like  eyes  nearly  a 
foot  below  his  own.  Then  with  a  smile  he  bowed 
to  the  Contessa  Zoya  and  went  in  search  of  the 
Princess  Sansevero,  to  say  good-by. 

He  found  her  in  the  adjoining  room,  absorbed 
in  the  music ;  and  luckily  there  was  an  empty  chair 
beside  her,  into  which  he  quietly  dropped.  She 
smiled  her  welcome  as  he  sat  down  beside  her,  but  she 
had  accepted  her  young  countryman  into  too  good 
a  friendship  to  make  either  of  them  feel  the  need 
of  rushing  into  speech.  After  a  little  she  turned 
to  him;  even  then  her  sentence  seemed  to  complete 
a  conversation  interrupted  rather  than  a  new  one 
begun,  "  Above  all,  do  not  forget  to  present  Sandro's 
letter  to  the  Archbishop !  I  know  you  will  be  drawn 
to  him.  His  Eminence  is  one  of  those  rare  per- 
sons who  have  not  waited  to  die  to  become  angels." 
She  smiled.  "  I  am  sure  you  will  be  safe  under  his 
protection." 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  me,  Princess,  why  there 
is  so  much  talk  of  protection — it  sounds  as  though 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          231 

I  were  going  to  explore  the  interior  of  Africa!  I 
shall  be,  at  most,  twenty-four  hours  away  from 
Rome." 

"  There  is  no  knowing  what  you  are  going  to 
explore " — a  shade  of  anxiety  had  come  into  her 
face.  "  The  Mafia  is  there,  the  people  are  ignor- 
ant, and  the  lava  wastes  are  as  desolate  and  wild 
as  any  spot  in  Africa.  I  hope  there  will  be  no 
danger,  but  it  is  well  to  take  precautions  before  go- 
ing into  such  a  country.  You  will  promise  me 
won't  you? — to  follow  the  directions  of  his  Em- 
inence." Unconsciously  she  put  her  hand  against 
her  heart. 

Derby  gave  his  promise  easily,  and  she  held  out 
her  hand.  He  kissed  it  after  the  European  cus- 
tom; and  as  he  did  so  he  felt  her  fingers  tighten 
over  his,  as  she  whispered  with  a  little  underlying 
emotional  vibration,  "  God  bless  you,  my  dear  boy ! 
— and  a  safe  return." 

Vaguely,  as  he  went  through  the  rooms  in  search 
of  Nina,  the  princess's  words  echoed  through  his 
mind,  and  through  some  unknown  train  of  sugges- 
tion he  remembered  that  Miller,  the  butler  in  New 
York,  had  wished  Nina  a  "  safe  return."  The  as- 
sociation of  the  two  seemed  ridiculous,  yet  a 
thought  held:  Was  it  at  all  certain  that  she  was 
going  to  return  home?  Was  he,  perhaps,  not  go- 
ing to  return  from  Sicily?  He  put  himself  in  the 
category  of  idiots  and  banished  the  idea.  But  the 
echo  of  the  blessing  that  the  princess  had  given 


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him  settled  softly  upon  his  sensibilities.  "  God 
bless  her!  "  he  said  almost  aloud. 

Presently  he  found  Nina,  unapproachably  hemmed 
in,  and  too  near  the  music  to  talk.  For  a  moment 
she  hesitated,  on  the  verge  of  extricating  herself 
or  encouraging  him  to  enter  the  circle  despite  the 
.general  disturbance  it  must  cause.  But  the  mo- 
ment passed.  His  lips  framed  "  Good-by "  and 
hers  answered,  both  smiled  brightly — and  that  was 
the  parting. 

Derby  was  in  many  ways  a  fatalist — not  one  of 
those  who  thought  that  by  sitting  still  the  gifts 
from  the  horn  of  fortune  would  tumble  into  his 
lap;  but  one  of  those  who  believe  (to  use  his  own 
expression),  in  pegging  away  at  the  thing  in 
hand;  further  than  that,  what  was  to  be,  would 
be. 

As  Derby  descended  the  stairs  he  encountered  the 
Countess  Masco.  "  Hello,  John ! "  she  exclaimed, 
and  then  as  she  held  him  by  the  arm,  her  voice  came 
down  to  what  for  her  was  a  low  whisper ;  at  twenty 
feet  any  one  could  have  overheard  her,  but  for- 
tunately the  hall  was  deserted,  save  for  a  couple  of 
footmen  standing  at  the  green  baize  door  that  led 
to  the  outer  stairs  of  the  courtyard.  "  Have  you 
heard  the  news?  Giovanni  Sansevero  agreed  to  go 
on  a  cruise  to  Malta  with  Rosso,  and  Rosso  won't 
let  him  out  of  it!  You  may  imagine  he  does  not 
relish  leaving  Rome  just  now,  especially  with  you 
again  out  of  the  field ! " 


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THE    TITLE    MARKET          233 

Derby  was  not  given  an  opportunity  either  to  ac- 
cept or  to  resent  her  intrusion  into  his  affairs,  for 
the  dashing  lady  immediately  fled,  and  Derby  went 
on.  As  he  waited  for  his  cab,  he  felt  inclined  to 
go  back  and  try  to  see  Nina.  He  was  letting  her 
drift  very,  very  far  away.  But  while  he  was  hesi- 
tating, his  cab  drove  up,  and  without  more  ado  he 
jumped  into  it  and  drove  to  his  hotel.  As  soon  as 
he  reached  his  room,  he  began  a  letter  to  Nina;  but 
all  the  things  he  had  vowed  to  himself  not  to  say, 
swarmed  to  the  very  tip  of  his  pen.  He  threw  it 
down,  therefore,  and  tore  up  the  paper  that  showed, 
under  "  Dear  Nina,"  an  erased  "  Darl — "  After 
pacing  the  floor  a  while,  he  again  picked  up  the 
pen,  but  this  time  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Randolph.  At 
the  end  of  a  letter  of  details  relating  to  the  mines, 
he  added: 


"  There  are  rumors  now  agitating  people  over  here  and 
likely  to  become  public  property,  that  the  Sansevero  Madonna 
has  been  smuggled  out  of  the  country.  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  the  Raphael  you  showed  me  in  New  York  is  not 
the  duplicate  you  were  led  to  suppose,  but  the  Sansevero 
picture.  How  it  was  sold,  I  have  not  yet  discovered,  though 
I  do  not  believe  the  prince  guilty  of  violating  the  laws.  But 
I  know  the  Government  has  its  secret  agents  at  work  upon 
the  case  because  of  the  seeming  luxury  of  the  princess,  whose 
new  furs  and  automobile  are  known  to  be  far  beyond  her 
present  income.  I  more  than  suspect  that  these  luxuries  are 
the  result  of  Nina's  generosity,  but  if  the  Sansevero  picture  w 
the  one  you  have,  the  affair  will  end  badly  for  the  prince. 
At  all  events,  I  consider  it  best  to  carry  the  matter  direct  to 
you." 


234         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

While  Derby  was  writing  to  Mr.  Randolph,  an 
animated  conversation  was  taking  place  in  a  little 
room  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  gigantic  palace 
of  the  Scorpas.  The  doors  were  bolted,  and  the 
two  inmates  of  the  apartment  talked  in  whispers. 

"  You  understand  your  instructions  ?  " 

"Yes,  Excellency." 

"  Repeat  them." 

"  I  take  the  boat  to-morrow — go  to  Vencata. 
Keep  watch  upon  the  Americano — the  one  whose 
name  I  have  here." 

"  John  Derby,  yes.  But  he  is  very  big — a  giant. 
Make  no  mistake,  find  the  one  who  is  the  padrone! 
And ?  Continue!" 

44 1  am  to  watch  if  it  is  true  that  he  begins  work- 
ing the  '  Little  Devil,'  and  if  so — I  know  the  rest. 
It  is  nothing!  A  pig's  skin  is  thick — a  man's 
thin ! "  As  he  said  this  he  glanced  at  the  duke, 
and  there  was  a  sinister  gleam  in  the  man's  deep-set 
eyes,  and  beneath  the  sharp  nose  the  mouth  was 
hard  and  straight,  like  a  seam  across  the  face. 

The  duke  nodded  as  though  satisfied.  "  It  may 
be  well  for  you  to  remember,"  he  observed  impres- 
sively, "  that  the  reward  will  make  you  and  yours 
easy  for  life." 

The  man  saluted  respectfully,  but  with  a  dogged 
surliness  that  revealed  no  loyalty.  Yet  there  was 
in  his  look  a  hint  of  fanatical  intensity.  Outside 
in  the  passageway  he  smiled  grimly.  For  once  the 
errand  on  which  the  duke  had  sent  him  fell  in  with 


235 

his  own  inclinations.  He  opened  a  window  and 
looked  out  through  the  gratings  into  the  night.  In 
his  heart  he  bore  no  love  for  the  duke,  but  he  was  by 
race  and  inheritance  a  dependent  of  the  house  of 
Scorpa.  It  had  always  been  so — the  dukes  had  been 
masters  since  time  immemorial.  The  present  duke 
had  made  the  lives  of  Sicilians  terrible  enough,  but 
he,  Luigi  Calluci,  would  have  no  stranger  Ameri- 
cano forcing  his  people  to  work  that  hell-mine  of 
the  "  Little  Devil  " ! 


CHAPTER    XX 

HIS   EMINENCE  THE   ARCHBISHOP   OF   VENCATA 

BARELY  two   days    after   the  evening   at   the 
Palazzo    Sansevero,    Derby    was    driving   up 
the  Sicilian  hills  towards  the  palace — courtesy 
gave  it  the  name — of  the  venerable  Archbishop  of 
Vencata.     Porter,    in    company    with    Tiggs    and 
Jenkins — Derby's    American    assistants — had    been 
left  at  the  inn  in  the  town,  but  Derby  was  anxious 
to  present  his  letter  as  soon  as  possible,  in  order 
that  there  might  be  no  delay  in  commencing  work 
at  the  mines. 

The  carriage  in  which  Derby  sat  had  at  first 
sight  seemed  liable  to  tumble  apart,  like  so  many 
separate  pieces  of  mosaic  puzzle,  and  he  had  taken 
his  place  on  the  old  cloth  cushion  rather  dubiously. 
But  the  driver  gayly,  and  with  every  appearance 
of  confidence  in  himeslf  and  his  equipage,  had 
cracked  his  whip  and  shouted  all  the  names  in  the 
calendar  to  the  horses,  whose  muscles  gradually  be- 
came sufficiently  taut  to  impel  them  onward.  A  few 
dozen  yards  having  been  made  without  mishap, 
Derby  felt  that  the  special  protection  of  Providence 
must  be  over  the  :,  and  he  leaned  back  contentedly, 
puffing  at  his  pipe  and  enjoying  to  the  full  the 
witchery  of  a  Sicilian  sunset.  The  rickety  convey- 

236 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         237 

ance  clattered  slowly  up  a  winding  road  that 
seemed  like  a  white  band  tied  about  the  mountain- 
side, holding  here  little  terraced  vineyards,  there 
a  huddling  group  of  houses  that  else  would  surely 
have  slipped  into  the  ravine.  For  a  short  distance 
it  hung  out  over  the  sea,  then  cut  inward,  as  though 
the  band  of  white  had  been  laced  in  and  out  among 
the  silvery  sprays  of  the  olive  leaves. 

Below  it  all,  and  beyond,  lay  the  Mediterranean, 
its  blue  waters  now  deepened  to  indigo,  shading  into* 
wide  lakes  of  purple,  under  the  reflection  of  the 
setting  sun,  which,  like  a  great  red  lantern,  seemed 
sinking  into  the  sea.  A  sharp  turn  inward  and  up- 
ward brought  the  conveyance  shambling  into  a  little 
courtyard.  It  halted  before  the  doorway  of  a  low, 
white-washed  house  smothered  in  semi-tropical  vines,, 
which  extended  from  the  eaves  over  a  pergola 
built  along  the  wall  at  the  terrace  edge.  Beneath 
this  arbor  was  a  rustic  seat,  on  the  cushions  of 
which  a  big  gray  cat  sat  up  slowly,  and  stared  at 
the  intruders  with  insolent,  unwinking  eyes. 

A  woman's  voice  droned  a  dirgeful  song  that  had 
a  half  Oriental,  half  negro  suggestion  in  its  monot- 
onous pitch,  while  from  afar,  like  an  echo  over  the 
mountainside,  came  faintly  the  wailing  cadence  of 
the  caramella  of  some  shepherd  boy,  and  the  tinkle 
of  goat  bells,  interrupted  by  the  hoot  of  little  owl* 
crying  through  the  dusk. 

The  bells  of  the  flapping  harness  settled  into  si- 
lence, the  droning  sing-song  ceased,  and  from  the 


238         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

stone  flagging  within  came  the  shuffle  of  wooden 
shoes.  An  old  woman,  in  the  inevitable  dark  stuff 
dress  of  her  class,  and  the  blue  apron  gay-bordered 
with  red  and  white,  stood  in  the  doorway.  Her  big 
hoop  earrings  fell  to  her  shoulders,  but  were  partly 
hidden  by  the  kerchief  which  she  held  over  her  head 
with  one  hand,  as  if  in  fear  of  a  draught,  while 
with  the  other  she  still  grasped  the  door  latch. 

To  Derby's  inquiry  as  to  whether  His  Eminence 
were  at  home,  she  responded  suspiciously — almost 
contemptuously,  as  she  looked  him  over  from  head 
to  toe.  Certainly,  His  Exaltedness  was  at  home. 
What  should  one  of  his  venerability  be  doing  abroad 
at  such  an  hour ! 

Derby's  bow  was  apologetic.  Would  Signora 
have  the  kindness  to  deliver  the  letter  which  he 
tendered  her? 

She  turned  the  envelope  over  in  her  hands,  looked 
again  at  the  stranger,  and  at  last  stood  aside  so 
that  he  might  enter. 

Derby  waited  in  the  dim,  low-ceilinged  passage- 
way, which  suggested  anything  but  the  antechamber 
of  an  archbishop's  palace.  Presently  a  door 
opened,  a  feeble  yellow  haze  filtered  into  the  cor- 
ridor, and  the  old  woman  reappeared  and  led  Derby 
into  a  small,  stone-paved  apartment  illumined  by 
a  single  flickering  lamp  of  the  most  primitive  de- 
sign, by  the  light  of  which  the  archbishop  had  evi- 
dently been  reading.  As  soon  as  Derby  entered, 
the  venerable  prelate  arose.  In  his  long  sottana  of 


"'YOU    ARE    AMERICANO,    ARE    YOU    NOT?      YOUR  LAND 
HAS  DONE  MUCH  FOR  MY  PEOPLE !' " 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         239 

violet  he  looked  strangely  diminutive  and  feminine; 
his  pale  skin  and  mild  eyes,  and  the  soft  white  hair 
like  a  fringe  beneath  his  velvet  cap — all  gave  an 
impression  of  great  gentleness,  an  impression 
heightened  by  contrast  with  the  bare,  white-washed 
walls  and  rigorously  meager  furnishing  of  the  cell- 
like  room.  With  the  courteous  manner  of  all  south- 
ern countries,  the  archbishop  placed  the  best  chair 
for  his  guest,  and  said  smilingly: 

"  Do  you  speak  Italian  ?  Ah — I  am  glad  you 
understand  that  language!  My  French  is  very 
failing,  and  as  for  Inglese — non  lo  conosco.  It  is 
too  difficult  at  my  age.  If  I  were  younger  I  should 
like  to  learn  your  tongue."  He  said  this  with  in- 
imitable grace,  and  added  with  a  gentle  inclina- 
tion: "You  are  Americano,  are  you  not?  Your 
land  has  done  much  for  my  people!  But  tell  me, 
Signore,  in  what  way  may  I  serve  you?  Sua  Ec- 
cellenza  il  Principe  Sansevero  places  you  under  our 
protection,  but  he  does  not  tell  us  what  it  is  that 
has  brought  you  to  us."  The  archbishop,  leaning 
back  in  his  chair,  might  so  have  sat  for  his  por- 
trait— his  white  hands  folded  one  over  the  other, 
and  the  great  amethyst  ring  on  the  third  finger 
of  his  right  hand  seeming  to  reflect  the  paler  shad- 
ings  in  the  folds  of  his  gown. 

"  I  have  come,  your  Eminence,"  said  Derby,  go- 
ing to  the  point  at  once,  "  to  work  the  '  Little 
Devil '  mine."  Before  the  archbishop  could  utter 
a  protest,  he  continued  very  quickly  and  distinctly: 


240          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  I  know  just  such  mines  as  that  which  are  being 
operated  now  without  danger  or  suffering  to  the 
miners." 

Then,  briefly  as  possible,  he  went  on  to  outline 
his  system  of  mining.  There  was  no  necessity,  he 
said,  for  miners  to  descend  below  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  and  he  would  need  only  a  dozen  men — instead 
of  the  many  workers,  including  women  and  children, 
that  were  now  employed.  To  Derby's  surprise,  the 
old  man  seemed  troubled. 

"  I  grow  old,  Signore ;  one  does  not  easily  take 
in  new  ideas!  By  your  method — am  I  right? — 
you  will  employ  a  dozen  men  in  place  of  a  hundred. 
That  troubles  me,  though  your  plan  seems  good. 
If  there  are  but  a  small  handful  needed,  it  must 
put  the  others  out  of  work.  The  mines  are  hard. 
A  harder  existence  cannot  well  be  imagined — but 
the  good  God  must  know  it  is  for  the  best,  since 
he  allows  it  to  continue.  To  be  sure,"  he  inter- 
rupted himself  sadly,  "  he  calls  them  to  him  soon ! " 

"  You  mean  they  die  young  in  the  mines  ?  That 
is  what  I  have  been  told." 

"  Yes,  Signore,  in  their  twenty-eighth  year  the 
people  are  at  the  end  of  life ;  at  the  age  of  twelve 
they  are  already  stooped  and  wrinkled  old  men  and 
women.  For  the  children  it  is  most  terrible;  it  is 
they  who  climb  up  the  .high  ladders  out  of  the  pits 
in  the  earth — it  gives  one  a  fortaste  of  inferno  to 
see  such  things.  Cosi  Dio,  m'  ajuti,  it  is  true! 
Yet  so  they  live — otherwise  they  must  die.  What 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         241 

can  we  do?  Since  the  Santa  Maria  does  not  inter- 
vene, the  poor  must  work  or  starve.  They  have  not 
the  money  to  go  away  to  the  country  beyond  the 
sea,  to  America,  the  land  of  plenty!  If  some  of 
the  rich  abundance  might  be  brought  to  my 

people "  He  shook  his  head,  looking,  it  seemed, 

beyond  the  white  walls  of  the  room,  as  though  he 
saw  a  vision. 

Then  slowly,  carefully,  Derby  explained.  It  was 
to  bring  some  of  the  customs  of  the  land  of  plenty 
that  he  had  come.  He  would  pay  the  men — the 
father,  the  brother,  the  big  son — more  money  than 
had  been  earned  hitherto  by  the  whole  family.  No, 
His  Eminence  did  not  understand — the  work  was  not 
to  be  harder,  but  easier!  And  for  the  reason  that 
he  had  already  explained:  Machinery  would  take 
the  place  of  children's  hands ;  steel  pipes,  and  not 
human  beings,  would  descend  into  the  stifling  fumes. 
He  wanted  to  get  a  few  intelligent  men  to  go  with 
their  families  to  the  deserted  village  clustered  about 
the  "  Little  Devil." 

Still  the  old  man  sat,  looking  straight  before 
him. 

"  All  that  you  tell  me,  Signore,"  he  said  at  last, 
his  voice  echoing  a  sweetness,  a  cheerful  patience 
that  was  doubtless  the  keynote  to  his  nature — "  it  all 
sounds  very  beautiful ;  but,  indeed,  it  cannot  be ! 
The  great  Duke  Scorpa  has  given  the  matter  much 
thought.  The  mine  owners  cannot  pay  the  people 
more — there  is  scarcely  any  profit  as  it  is.  The 


242         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

duke  has  often  told  me  this  himself,  so  I  know  it 
to  be  true." 

Derby  thereupon  said  that  the  great  Duke  Scorpa 
had  doubtless  done  everything  possible,  and  that 
under  the  old  method  there  had  been  no  help  for 
the  conditions,  but — and  again  he  expressed  himself 
as  clearly  as  possible — with  the  new  method  and 
with  machinery,  one  man  could  do  the  work  of  many. 
So  the  wages  might  be  trebled  and  yet  the  mines  be 
made  to  pay. 

As  Derby  talked,  a  faint  color  mounted  in  the 
cheeks  of  the  archbishop — his  eyes  grew  eagerly 
wistful,  and  at  last  he  leaned  forward  in  his  chair, 
his  voice  almost  breathless  as  he  asked,  "  Can  such  a 
thing  be  true — that  in  your  country  the  father  can 
earn  sufficient  that  the  little  children  need  not 
work?  Ah,  Signore — who  knows? — who  knows? — 
may  be  at  last  the  cry  of  the  bambinos  has  reached 
the  throne  of  the  Santa  Vergine ! "  He  sat  again 
silent,  but  this  time  with  a  smile  on  his  lips.  Then 
the  old  woman  appeared  in  the  doorway  and  the 
archbishop  arose. 

"  It  is  the  hour  for  my  supper,"  he  said.  "  I 
shall  esteem  it  an  honor  if  you  will  break  bread  with 
me."  Derby  was  about  to  decline,  thinking  it  bet- 
ter to  return  later,  but  the  manner  of  the  old  man 
left  no  doubt  as  to  the  genuineness  of  his  invita- 
tion, and  Derby  accepted.  In  the  adjoining  room 
a  small  table  was  set  with  very  few  utensils.  Two 
plates,  two  forks,  two  spoons,  a  cup,  and  a  wine 


THE   TITLE    MARKET          24S 

glass  apiece — that  was  all.  After  the  blessing, 
they  were  served  a  frugal  meal  of  bread  and  goats' 
milk,  a  pudding  of  macaroni,  and  a  plate  of  figs; 
there  was  also  wine,  acid  and  thin,  which  the  good 
Marianna — for  so  the  housekeeper  was  called — had 
doubtless  pressed  herself. 

Her  son  Teobaldo,  who  waited  at  table,  was 
dressed  in  some  semblance  of  a  livery — black  broad- 
cloth and  a  white  tie.  The  archbishop  ate  spar- 
ingly— he  drank  a  little  of  the  milk,  and  tasted  a 
piece  of  fruit,  but  his  conversation  with  his  guest 
seemed  to  satisfy  him  far  more  than  food  could  do. 

Full  of  the  hope  of  relief  for  his  people,  he  now 
turned  to  plans  for  the  Signore  Americano's  pro- 
tection. Throughout  the  mountains,  the  hard  life 
had  made  a  hard  people,  he  said,  and  unfriendly  to 
foreigners.  What  could  they  expect  from  the 
hands  of  strangers  when  their  own  nobility,  even, 
their  priests,  were  powerless  to  help !  But  the 
Signore  should  be  put  under  the  guidance  of  Padre 
Filippo — and  also  there  should  be  two  carabinieri 
for  protection.  Besides,  Padre  Filippo  would 
recommend  carpenters  and  mechanics  of  Vencata 
Minore — the  village  nearest  the  "  Little  Devil " — 
good  men  and  honest,  who  would  help  in  the  work. 

The  meal  ended,  they  returned  to  the  living 
room.  The  old  woman  fussed  at  the  wick  of  the 
lamp  and  then  placed  a  book  close  to  the  light  and 
opened  it  at  the  page  marked  by  a  bit  of  paper. 
The  archbishop  smiled.  "  She  takes  good  care  of 


244         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

me,  my  Marianna.  Once  she  lost  my  place,  but  she 
is  very  careful." 

Derby  looked  at  the  page  beneath  the  flickering 
dimness.  "  Does  Your  Eminence  read  by  this 
light?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  a  little.  By  day  I  can  see  nearly  as  well 
as  ever,  but  in  the  evening  I  can  read  only  the  books 
that  have  large  print — and  only  for  a  little  time. 
But  what  would  you  have,  Signore?  My  eyesight 
may  not  any  longer  be  like  that  of  a  boy."  Then 
he  added :  "  The  good  sun  brings  now  each  day  a 
longer  time  to  read,  and  perhaps  by  the  time  an- 
other winter  makes  the  days  again  grow  short,  I 
shall  be  near  the  Great  Light  that  knows  no 
setting." 

"  You  might  have  a  good  lamp  and  see  very 
well,"  suggested  Derby. 

"  A  lamp  ?  But  in  this  I  burn  olive  oil.  It  is 
very  good  oil,  Signore — no  one  makes  it  better  than 
Marianna !  The  reading  at  night  is  only  for  young 
eyes."  Again  he  smiled. 

With  difficulty  he  wrote  a  letter  of  direction  to 
Padre  Filippo  and  affixed  his  seal.  Also  he  prom- 
ised that  two  carabinieri  should  be  at  the  inn  at 
eight  o'clock  on  the  following  morning,  to  accom- 
pany the  expedition  to  the  mines.  And  they  should 
carry  a  letter  to  Donna  Marcella — in  her  house  the 
Americans  had  better  lodge.  From  there  they 
could  with  ease  go  each  day  on  muleback  to  the 
"  Little  Devil." 


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At  last  Derby  arose  to  leave.  And  then,  al- 
though he  was  not  of  the  Roman  faith,  he  swiftly 
bent  and  kissed  the  ring  on  the  thin,  white  hand 
that  had  been  placed  in  his  own.  Into  the  arch- 
bishop's eyes  came  a  look  of  tenderness  that  yet 
seemed  tinged  by  a  vague  fear,  as  he  laid  his  free 
hand  on  the  bent  head  and  gave  his  blessing,  "  Deus 
te  benedicet,  mewm  filium.  May  you  fulfil  your 
hopes  for  my  people  in  safety !  "  Very  slightly  the 
old  man's  voice  broke. 

Derby  stood  at  his  full  height,  towering  by  head 
and  shoulders  over  the  archbishop  as  he  again 
thanked  him  for  his  hospitality  and  his  protection. 
He  walked  back  to  the  inn,  his  mind  full  of  many 
things.  At  the  ufficio  della  posta  he  glanced  up, 
hesitated,  and  then,  with  a  smile,  went  in  and  wrote 
out  the  following  telegram: 

"  Miss  NIKA  RANDOLPH, 

"Palazzo  Sansevero, 

"  Rome. 

"  Send  immediately  by  express  one  good  Rochester  burner 
lamp  and  barrel  of  kerosene  to 
"  Sua  Eminenza, 

"  L'Arcivescovo  di  Vencata, 

"JOHX." 


CHAPTER     XXI 

THE    SULPHUR    MINES 

IT  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning 
before  Derby's  party  was  ready  to  start.  The 
pack  mules,  with  a  bulging  load  on  either  side, 
looked  like  great  bales  on  legs.  Long  steel  pieces 
needed  for  the  drills  were  strapped  lengthwise  be- 
tween two  mules.  The  saddled  animals,  which  were 
to  carry  the  members  of  the  party  were  held  at  a 
short  distance  while  the  men  were  seeing  to  the 
final  preparations.  Four  horses  had  been  procured 
for  Derby,  Porter,  Tiggs,  and  Jenkins ;  the  cara- 
binieri  had  their  own  horses,  and  Padre  Filippo  his 
mule. 

As  it  happened,  the  priest  had  come  to  Vencata 
the  evening  before,  so  that  the  archbishop  had  been 
able  to  turn  over  at  once  to  his  especial  guidance 
the  Americanos  who  had  been  sent  by  the  Blessed 
Virgin  to  rescue  the  bambinos  from  the  inferno  of 
the  mines.  Padre  Filippo  was  short,  rotund,  with  a 
ruddy  complexion  and  a  cheerful  crop  of  carrot- 
colored  hair.  The  two  carabmieri  were  splendid 
specimens  of  men,  but  after  all,  to  say  carabmieri  is 
enough:  for  the  Italian  cavalry  must  stand  not  only 
a  physical,  but  also  a  moral  examination  that  goes 
back  three  generations.  It  is  not  sufficient  for  a 

246 


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candidate  to  be  above  suspicion  himself;  his  father 
and  his  father's  father  must  have  been  so  as  well. 
These  two  men  were  both  over  six  feet,  lean  and  dark- 
skinned,  with  that  trace  of  the  Arab  which  one  sees 
all  through  the  people  of  Sicily ;  and  they  were  silent 
and  serious,  in  great  contrast  to  another  type  of 
Sicilians  who  smile  much.  They  wore  the  cardbiniere 
uniform  for  the  mountain  districts — a  double- 
breasted  coat  with  two  rows  of  silver  buttons,  coat 
tails  bordered  with  red,  two  strips  of  red  down  the 
trouser  seams,  a  visored  cap,  and  high  black  boots. 
They  were  mounted  on  magnificent  black  horses,  with 
rifles  hung  across  their  saddles. 

Finally,  as  the  procession  started  and  the  hoofs 
clattered  on  the  hard  road  leading  up  over  the 
mountain,  people  crowded  out  on  the  little  iron  bal- 
conies, heads  appeared  at  the  windows — heads  that 
seemed  gigantic  by  comparison  with  the  miniature 
houses,  which  were  painted  brilliant  pink  and  blue, 
mauve  and  Naples  yellow. 

As  the  road  ascended,  it  turned  inward  away 
from  the  sea,  and  after  a  short  distance  narrowed 
into  a  rocky  mountain  path  that  looked  like  the  dry 
bed  of  a  stream,  winding  through  the  wilderness. 
After  an  hour's  ride  the  character  of  the  landscape 
changed.  The  semi-tropical  vegetation  grew 
gradually  sparse,  and  after  a  while  in  the  distance, 
seemingly  in  the  midst  of  the  path,  a  great  rock 
loomed  gigantic  and  gaunt,  cutting  in  two  the  blue 
dome  of  the  sky.  Still  farther  on,  they  came  upon 


248         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

stretches  of  straggling  wild  peach,  olive,  and  lemon 
trees.  Beyond  again,  tangles  of  hawthorn  were  in- 
terspersed with  patches  of  dried  weeds  and  grass. 
But  as  they  neared  the  mining  district  the  soil  was 
bleak  and  barren.  The  mountain  rivers  were  dry, 
and  their  beds  made  yawning  gaps  as  though  the 
earth  had  violently  shuddered  at  her  own  desola- 
tion. 

At  last,  about  noon,  they  came  to  the  village  of 
Vencata  Minore,  which  stood  in  a  little  plain  of 
green.  The  house  of  Donna  Marcella  was  set  on  a 
slight  eminence  and,  compared  with  the  surround- 
ing habitations,  was  quite  pretentious.  It  was  kal- 
somined  white,  had  a  courtyard  of  its  own,  and 
back  of  it  was  a  little  fruit  and  flower  garden. 
Donna  Marcella  was  a  buxom,  thrifty,  and  dominat- 
ing woman.  Had  she  been  a  man  she  would  as- 
suredly have  migrated  to  America  and  become  a 
captain  of  industry;  however,  circumstances  having 
placed  her  under  heavier  responsibilities,  she  came 
smiling  to  the  door,  followed  by  a  troop  of  brown- 
skinned  and  curly-haired  babies.  She  courtesied 
and  beamed  and  gesticulated  her  delighted  welcome 
of  the  strangers  and,  upon  being  shown  the  arch- 
bishop's missive,  kissed  the  red  seal.  A  few  words 
were  intelligible  to  her,  but  the  reading  of  a  whole 
letter  was  beyond  the  measure  of  her  accomplish- 
ments, and  she  looked  to  Padre  Filippo  to  explain. 
She  could  write  the  few  nouns  and  do  sums  quite 
well  enough,  though,  to  make  out  the  bills  for  her 


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occasional  guests, — if  in  doubt  she  added  another 
figure. 

Sometimes  she  had  guests — ah,  but  illustrious! 
The  Gran  Signore,  Sua  Eccellenza  il  Duca  di 
Scorpa — that  name  to  be  whispered,  and  yet  to  be 
dwelt  upon — no  less  a  personage  than  such  an  ex- 
altedness  had  come  to  sleep  a  night  under  her 
humble  roof!  The  distinguished  forestieri  should 
have  the  very  room  His  Eccellentissimo  had  occu- 
pied! She  seemed  to  choose  among  the  Americans 
by  instinct,  assigning  to  Derby  and  Porter  this 
apartment  in  which  she  took  such  evident  pride. 

It  was,  in  fact,  airy  and  good  sized,  scantily 
furnished,  but  scrupulously  clean,  and  with  two 
great  beds  heaped  high  with  the  red  and  yellow 
flowered  quilts  which  in  Sicilian  houses  serve  the 
double  purpose  of  warmth  and  decoration:  not 
alone  do  they  lend  supreme  elegance  to  the  bed- 
rooms, but  suspended  from  the  windows,  they  most 
gayly  embellish  the  house  front  on  days  of  festa. 

As  soon  as  his  belongings  were  unpacked,  Porter, 
with  an  eye  for  beauty  as  well  as  a  view  to  making 
himself  popular,  began  to  draw  a  pencil  sketch  of 
the  little  Marcella,  a  witch  of  five  and  beautiful  as 
a  doll.  Tiggs  and  Jenkins  saw  to  the  unloading 
of  the  mules.  But  Derby  and  the  carabinieri,  with 
Padre  Filippo,  after  a  hasty  luncheon  of  bread, 
figs,  and  goats'  milk,  pushed  on  to  the  mines.  Be- 
yond the  outskirts  of  the  little  village  the  land  soon 
grew  dead  again — not  a  bird  fluttered,  not  a  living 


250          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

thing  was  heard.  A  few  patches  of  green  had 
sprouted  here  and  there  in  the  lava  blackness  of 
the  soil,  but  otherwise  the  country  seemed  under  a 
curse. 

A  new  bend  in  the  road  brought  them  close  to  a 
small  abandoned  settlement  whose  windowless  houses 
gaped,  staring  like  lidless  eyes,  at  the  pits  which 
had  been  dug  and  left  like  caverns  of  the  dead — 
as,  in  truth,  they  were.  Yet  nature  had  softened 
the  graveyard  with  straggling  spots  of  new  green. 
A  vapor  rose  from  one  of  the  pits  as  though  a 
monster  lay  in  wait  below  to  destroy  his  victims  with 
the  poison  of  his  breath.  This  was  "  Little  Devil," 
the  priest  told  Derby.  Through  the  jaws  of  that 
yawning  hole  many  had  entered  the  gates  of  para- 
dise! His  lips  muttered  a  fragment  of  the  prayer 
for  the  dead;  he  crossed  himself,  and  Derby  noticed 
that  the  carabinieri  did  the  same. 

During  the  day  Derby  had  been  slowly  unfold- 
ing to  Padre  Filippo  his  plans,  and  now  the  priest 
looked  anxiously  into  the  American's  face — could 
he  still  be  hopeful  of  such  a  cemetery  as  this? 
Derby  rode  slowly,  making  a  cursory  survey  of  the 
conditions.  It  was  much  as  he  had  expected  to 
find  it,  he  told  the  priest;  he  was  not  disheartened. 

They  did  not  stop,  as  Derby  was  anxious  to  go 
to  the  Scorpa  mines,  where  he  expected  to  secure  his 
men.  He  had  heard  enough  to  know  what  lay  be- 
fore him ;  and  even  in  anticipation  he  felt  oppressed. 
Another  sudden  turn  in  the  road  gave  them  a  near 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          251 

view  of  the  settlement.  Over  the  arid  earth  spread 
a  dense  haze  of  smoke  and  yellow  vapor,  and  down 
in  it — in  this  vapor  whose  metallic  fumes  gripped 
lungs  and  throat  and  burned  like  fire — crawled  hu- 
man beings!  Close  to  the  earth  they  crept,  so  that 
the  rising  smoke  might  spend  its  worst  above 
them. 

Derby  had  thought  himself  prepared,  but  with 
the  horrors  actually  before  him,  he  shuddered  un- 
controllably;  unconsciously,  he  gripped  the  pommel 
of  the  saddle  so  tensely  that  his  knuckles  whitened. 
The  mine  of  "  Golden  Plenty !  "  From  the  horrible 
mockery  of  the  name,  the  devil  might  well  have 
taken  notes  in  planning  hell!  Copper  Rock  was 
paradise  indeed,  compared  to  this  inferno. 

Little  forms  passed  by  him  with  faces  wizened  and 
wrinkled — were  they  gnomes? — or  what?  Surely 
not  children!  Small,  narrow,  stooped  shoulders, 
backs  bent  under  loads  buckled  to  tottering  legs. 
Ragged  the  creatures  were  to  the  point  of  naked- 
ness, and  on  their  arms  and  legs  were  scars  fresh 
and  scarlet  from  the  torches  of  the  overseers. 
Women  and  men  crawled  near  the  caldrons,  and 
down  the  ladders  into  the  hell  pits  went  the  chil- 
dren— up  with  the  heavy  loads  past  the  torch  and 
lash  of  the  devil  servers,  whose  duty  it  was  to  see 
that  no  panting  being  loitered.  Day  in,  day  out, 
these  miserable  wretches  stumbled  under  the  sting- 
ing pain  of  burning  flesh — and  once  in  a  while  a 
child's  faltering  feet  slipped  from  the  ladder  rungs, 


252         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

his  weak  hands  lost  hold — a  cry,  a  fall,  and  the 
*'  Golden  Plenty  "  had  swallowed  one  more  victim. 

As  Derby's  party  drew  near,  a  straggling  group 
gathered  around  the  strangers.  They  stared  dully 
and  without  intelligence,  and  yet  like  animals  in 
whom  savagery  is  ever  ready  to  burst  restraints. 
.The  stronger  men  among  them  glowered  at  the  in- 
truders, turning  against  a  strange  face  with  the 
snarl  they  dared  not  show  to  one  grown  familiar. 
Beyond  the  mines,  ranged  at  different  heights  on 
the  barren  mountain  slope,  were  huts  much  like  the 
abandoned  ones  at  "  Little  Devil " — black  caverns, 
smoke-stained  and  gaping,  where  stooping  human 
beings  moved  in  and  out,  maimed  and  broken  like 
insects  whose  wings  some  brutal  boy  has  pulled. 

And  yet  the  priest  affirmed  that  to  get  half  a 
dozen  families  to  leave  this  place  and  go  to  the  new 
settlement  would  be  no  easy  task.  They  were  too 
dull  to  grasp  the  promise  of  betterment,  and  the 
very  mention  of  "  Little  Devil "  filled  them  with 
alarm.  It  would  need  many  days  and  much  pa- 
tient handling  to  convince  them  that  the  forestieri 
meant  them  good  instead  of  harm. 

Padre  Filippo  was  the  one  who  most  persuaded 
them — he  and  a  Sicilian  workman,  a  native  of 
Vencata  who  had  lately  returned  from  America. 
Between  these  two  the  miners'  fears  were  partly  al- 
layed, and  in  less  than  a  week's  time  Derby  received 
a  small  company  of  men,  women,  and  children  into 
his  new  settlement.  They  came  like  prisoners,  un- 


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icier  the  guard  of  the  carabinieri,  and  so  feeble  and 
debilitated  were  the  wretched  creatures  that,  for 
a  few  weeks  after  their  arrival,  Derby  turned  his 
settlement  into  a  hospital. 

Yet  suspicion  surrounded  him  on  every  side.  It 
was  one  of  the  carabinieri — the  taller  one — who 
ventured  his  opinions  one  day :  "  Signore  does  not 
know  these  people!  Signore  is  letting  them  grow 
strong  that  they  may  the  better  use  their  fangs. 
They  cannot  believe  that  Signore  is  not  the  devil 
in  paying  such  wages — in  pretending  to  give  them 
a  life  of  ease.  The  great  Duke  Scorpa  is  their 
friend — he  has  been  able  to  do  nothing.  The  good 
and  honorable  His  Eminence  the  Archbishop,  not 
even  he  may  help — none  in  this  world;  not  even  the 
Holy  Virgin  on  her  throne  in  heaven.  If  any  one 
comes  to  interfere  it  must  be  the  devil — since  none 
but  the  devil  comes  to  such  a  land." 

"  That's  all  right,  my  friend,"  Derby  answered. 
"  Just  you  wait  and  see.  Animals  never  resent 
kindness,  and  that's  all  these  poor  creatures  are — 
just  animals." 

In  the  meantime  he  and  the  engineers  and  the 
carpenters  from  Vencata  Minore  had  worked  day 
and  night  getting  up  the  scaffolding  for  the  first 
well.  The  first  boiler  was  set  up  in  a  shanty,  and 
pens  were  hammered  together  to  hold  the  molten 
sulphur. 

From  the  moment  of  Derby's  arrival  in  the  Ven- 
cata mines,  the  carabinieri  kept  him  under  the 


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closest  guard  and  accompanied  him  wherever  he 
went.  But  in  spite  of  this  there  were  a  few  mild 
outbreaks.  One  day  a  stone  was  hurled  at  him. 
Another  time  some  half -crazed  wretch  tried  to  stab 
him;  and  once  a  pit  was  dug  across  the  road,  in 
which  his  horse  broke  a  leg,  so  that  it  had  to  be 
shot.  This  last  nearly  brought  Derby  to  the  point 
of  meting  out  punishment  to  the  offenders.  Yet 
when  he  realized  again  the  sufferings  of  these  peo- 
ple, his  anger  gradually  subsided. 

However,  these  disturbances  had  all  taken  place 
within  the  week  after  his  arrival  in  Sicily,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  second  week  he  strongly  objected  to 
being  guarded.  Each  day  he  knew  he  gained  in  the 
confidence  of  the  people,  and  each  day  he  knew  also 
that  they  must  be  improving.  He  felt  sure  that 
as  their  bodies  were  put  in  something  like  human 
condition,  their  intellects  must  follow.  The  cara- 
binieri  protested  that  he  would  be  making  a  need- 
less target  of  himself  should  he  attempt  to  ride 
alone  in  the  early  dawn  from  the  village  of  Vencata 
Minore  to  the  mines.  The  road  led  between  rocks 
and  underbrush  where  a  man  might  hide  with  per- 
fect safety.  But  the  apprehension  of  the  cara- 
binieri  did  not  trouble  Derby  in  the  least.  "  Non- 
sense," he  said.  "  Why,  the  miners  are  all  begin- 
ning to  like  me — I  can  see  it  in  their  faces." 

What  he  said  was  true,  and  under  the  new  treat- 
ment the  people  were  beginning  to  look  and  act  like 
human  beings.  Even  two  weeks  were  enough  to 


THE    TITLE   MARKET         255 

show  a  settlement  beyond  Padre  Filippo's  highest 
hopes.  No  child  was  employed  in  the  mines,  neither 
were  the  women  allowed  to  work  outside  their  huts 
and  plots  of  ground.  They  might  dig  and  plant 
the  soil,  but  they  were  barred  out  of  the  mines. 
With  the  elimination  of  the  refining  vats  and  the 
reduction  of  the  scorching  heat,  and  with  the  pres- 
ence of  moisture  from  the  steam  and  water  required 
in  the  new  mining,  conditions  became  favorable  for 
luxuriant  vegetation. 

Besides,  Derby  had  received  by  cable  approval  of 
certain  quixotic  measures:  Each  family  was  given 
a  milk  goat.  The  houses  were  furnished  with  cook 
stoves,  beds,  chairs,  and  tables.  And  although  it 
would  be  some  time  before  "  Little  Devil  "  would  seem 
inappropriate  as  a  name,  less  than  three  weeks  had 
passed  when  Derby,  sitting  in  the  tent  which  served 
as  his  office,  felt  a  real  thrill  as  he  footed  up  assets 
and  liabilities.  One  well  had  been  sunk,  and  the 
boilers  and  engines  needed  to  operate  it  were  going 
full  blast.  The  scaffoldings  for  two  more  were 
nearly  up. 

In  the  doorway  near  him  Porter  lounged,  draw- 
ing a  picture  of  Padre  Filippo,  who,  in  turn,  was 
writing  on  his  knees,  his  fine  penmanship  covering 
page  after  page — all  about  the  miracles  of  the 
Americano,  and  addressed  to  the  archbishop. 

But  his  Eminence  needed  no  letters  from  Padre 
Filippo  to  announce  miracles,  since  a  miracle  had 
happened  in  his  own  house — a  marvel  that  had  made 


256         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Marianna  cross  her  hands  in  speechless  wonder. 
The  new  lamp  burned  on  the  table,  the  green  read- 
ing shade  reflected  almost  as  much  light  on  the 
page  as  the  sun  itself,  and  His  Eminence  might 
now  read  any  book  he  pleased.  The  archbishop 
thoughtfully  stroked  the  cat  that  lay  curled  on  his 
lap. 

"  It  is  not  in  this  world,"  he  mused,  "  that  we 
shall  journey,  thou  and  I,  to  the  land  of  the  Ameri- 
canos, the  miracle  workers;  but  assuredly  the  Santa 
Vergine  sent  the  young  Signore  Americano  to  bless 
our  people  with  his  miracles — even  as  he  has  sent 
this  one  to  thee  and  me." 

But  beyond  the  bright  radius  of  the  good  arch- 
bishop's lamp  a  figure  waited  and  watched  in  the 
darkness — the  figure  of  a  man  with  a  sinister  face 
and  across  it  a  mouth  that  looked  like  a  seam. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

BEFORE  DAYIJGHT 

IN  the  purple  dawn  of  a  morning  two  or  three 
days  later,  Derby  emerged  from  the  house  of 
Donna  Marcella,  saddled  his  horse  and  for  the 
first  time  without  his  attendant  carabinieri,  started 
for  the  mines.     The  faint  light  showed  him  only  a 
blurred  and  indistinct  landscape;  and  in  the  crisp 
stillness  the  leather  of  his  saddle  creaked  a  monot- 
onous  accompaniment   to  the  horse's   hoofs,  which 
struck  the  road  with  clean-cut  staccato  sharpness^ 

Meanwhile,  in  the  big  best  room  on  the  ground 
floor  of  Donna  Marcella's  house,  Porter  slept.  A. 
man's  step  outside  and  the  fingering  of  a  shutter- 
latch  disturbed  him  not  at  all ;  even  when  there  came1 
a  nervous  tap  on  the  window  frame,  Porter  slept 
on.  A  moment  of  silence  followed,  and  then  a  voice 
breathed  stridently,  "  Signore! "  Porter  stirred 
in  his  sleep.  A  man's  head  and  shoulders  appeared 
over  the  sill  of  the  open  window.  "  Signore! 
Signore  V Americano!  "  The  tone  was  louder  and 
very  urgent.  Porter  awoke  with  a  start  and  seized 
his  revolver.  "  Pax,  pax!  "  came  the  voice  as  the 
man  dropped  out  of  sight. 

"  Signore,  Signore.  It  is  a  friend  who  would 
speak  to  the  Signore  I 'Americano !  "  The  syllables. 

257 


258 

were  whispered  with  ringing  distinctness..  Porter 
jumped  out  of  bed,  revolver  in  hand.  Close  to  the 
window,  he  demanded  who  was  there. 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  life  and  death !  May  I  show 
myself?  " 

"  Certainly !  "  said  Porter.  "  For  heaven's  sake, 
stand  up  and  let  me  have  a  look  at  you !  And  give 
an  account  of  why  you  are  getting  a  Christian  out 
of  his  bed  at  this  unearthly  hour ! "  In  the  glim- 
mering dawn  he  could  see  the  outline  of  the  man's 
figure,  but  he  could  not  recognize  him. 

"  Slgnore,  I  would  speak  with  the  big  Americano, 
the  one  who  sent  the  daylight  miracle  to  the  palace 
of  the  archbishop.  I  am  sent  by  His  Eminence 
the  Archbishop.  I  am  Teobaldo  his  servant.  See, 
I  carry  the  archbishop's  holy  ring  to  show  I  speak 
the  truth." 

Porter  saw  the  ring  distinctly,  held  between  the 
man's  fingers — "  Yes !  I  believe  you.  Be  quick !  " 

"  I  have  ridden  through  the  night,  but  I  arrive 
late  because  I  lost  my  path  in  the  blackness.  Last 
night  by  chance  it  became  known  to  the  archbishop 
that  there  is  a  plot  to  assassinate  the  Americano. 
I  am  come  secretly  to  warn  him.  The  assassin  is 
waiting  along  the  road  to  the  mine ;  it  is  to  be  there, 
and  the  hour  is  now !  " 

Porter  sprang  back  into  the  room.  "  Jack, 
Jack!  For  God's  sake,  are  you  there?"  He  tore 
back  the  covers  of  Derby's  bed,  but  it  was  empty. 
He  remembered  with  horror  that  the  carabinieri 


THE    TITLE   MARKET          259 

were  not  to  accompany  Derby  that  morning.  He 
had  insisted  that  they  were  no  longer  necessary. 
Scrambling  into  his  clothes  any  fashion — his 
trousers  over  his  pajamas,  his  shoes  over  stocking- 
less  feet — he  strapped  on  his  revolvers,  and  took 
the  window  ledge  at  a  bound. 

He  jumped  astride  his  horse  without  stopping  for 
a  saddle,  and  beat  and  kicked  the  poor  beast  along 
the  road  as  though  the  very  fiends  were  after  him. 
The  horse  rocked  on  his  legs  and  breathed  hard, 
but  Porter  had  no  consideration  for  that.  The 
pale  dawn  revealed  an  empty  road,  along  which  he 
sped  at  breakneck  pace,  while  beads  of  perspira- 
tion gathered  on  his  forehead  in  his  impatience  at 
the  seeming  slowness  of  his  progress.  At  last  the 
road  cut  through  a  tangled  bit  of  forest  with  a 
sharp  bend  at  the  end.  Just  as  he  reached  the 
turn  two  shots  rang  out  in  quick  succession.  With 
his  heart  almost  frozen,  he  dashed  around  the 
corner  in  time  to  see  Derby  plunging  into  the  under- 
brush. Like  a  wild  man  Porter  shouted,  "  I'm  com- 
ing, Jack,  I'm  coming !  " — impelling  his  already 
spent  horse  to  the  spot  where  Derby  had  disappeared 
into  the  thicket. 

Derby,  like  all  men  who  live  much  in  the  woods, 
had  almost  an  animal's  instinct  for  danger,  and  his 
ears,  supersensitive  to  wood  sounds,  had  caught  a 
moving  in  the  bushes.  To  get  his  revolver  in  hand 
and  drop  forward  behind  his  horse's  shoulders  had 
been  the  act  of  a  second,  and  the  bullet  whistled 


260         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

over  his  head.  But  the  immediate  effect  of  the  at- 
tack had  been  to  enrage  him  out  of  all  prudence. 
Firing  point-blank  at  the  smudge  of  smoke,  he 
jumped  from  his  horse  and  rushed  in  pursuit  of 
his  assailant. 

A  second  shot  Derby  thought  had  grazed  his 
coat;  he  emptied  two  barrels  of  his  revolver  in  the 
direction  from  which  it  came.  Another  bullet 
whistled  close  to  his  ear,  then  two  shots  went  en- 
tirely wide  of  him,  and  the  next  moment  he  reached 
a  man  lying  prone — with  blood  gushing  from  his 
head.  Derby  knocked  the  rifle  out  of  his  hands, 
but  there  was  no  further  danger  of  its  being  fired, 
for  the  man  had  fainted. 

In  a  second  Porter  dashed  up,  in  a  frenzy  of 
terror.  When  he  found  Derby  safe,  his  fright 
turned  to  rage,  and  he  was  impatient  to  put  the 
prisoner  into  the  hands  of  the  carabinieri.  "  Our 
friend  Basso  will  make  short  work  of  him,  I'm  think- 
ing !  "  he  said  grimly. 

But  Derby  had  no  intention  of  making  such  a 
disposition  of  his  prisoner.  "  Not  at  all,"  he  said 
deliberately ;  "  we  will  hand  him  over  to  Padre 
Filippo.  Priests  are  better  for  such  creatures  than 
police.  Come,  help  me  tie  up  his  head — my  shirt 
will  do !  "  Suiting  the  action  to  his  words,  he  pulled 
off  his  coat.  His  shirt  was  scarlet ! 

"  Great  Heavens,  man,  why  didn't  you  say  you 
were  hit  ?  "  Porter  gasped. 

Derby  looked  down  at  his  shirt  and  then  quiz- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         261 

zically  at  Porter.  "  Funny,"  he  remarked  indif- 
ferently ;  "  I  thought  the  bullet  had  only  grazed  my 
coat.  It  can't  be  much,  as  I  didn't  even  feel  it; 
however,  you  might  tie  me  up,  too."  He  pulled 
off  his  shirt.  Porter  tore  it  up  and  bound  Derby's 
shoulder.  Then  together  they  made  a  bandage  for 
the  bandit's  head. 

"  He's  got  an  ugly  mug ! "  said  Porter,  as  he 
wiped  the  man's  face.  "  By  Jove — it's  the  brigand 
I  noticed  coming  down  on  the  boat!  I  told  you  he 
looked  like  a  cutthroat." 

"  Your  natural  intuition  for  character  ?  "  Derby 
smiled,  but  the  next  minute  added  soberly  enough: 
"  If  he  came  from  the  mainland  we  must  be  up 
against  a  good  deal  more  than  the  poor  devils  here! 
Who  the  deuce  can  he  be?  He's  no  miner,  that's 
certain ! " 

They  had  dragged  their  prisoner  out  to  the  side 
of  the  road  and  laid  him  down.  And  as  Derby  in- 
sisted, Porter  rode  off  for  the  priest.  Derby  sat 
near  his  charge,  who  showed  no  signs  of  returning 
consciousness.  His  own  shoulder  ached  now,  and 
he  gradually  became  aware  of  slight  weakness.  He 
felt  in  his  pockets  for  a  flask,  but  found  he  had 
forgotten  to  carry  one,  so  he  lit  his  pipe  instead, 
and  fell  to  scrutinizing  the  man  before  him.  He 
was  of  small  stature,  but  there  was  great  endur- 
ance in  the  long,  pointed  nose,  the  strong,  lantern 
jaw;  and  the  face,  sinister  though  it  was,  retained, 
even  in  unconsciousness,  an  expression  of  grim 


262          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

fortitude.  The  more  Derby  studied  the  man,  the 
more  certain  he  became  that  he  was  no  mere  skulk- 
ing coward. 

At  last  Porter  and  the  padre  appeared  over  the 
hill.  No  sooner  had  the  priest  caught  sight  of  the 
prisoner  than  he  exclaimed,  "  Per  I'amor  di  Dio! 
It  is  Luigi  Calluci ! "  There  was  added  horror  in 
his  tone  as  he  whispered,  "  Signore,  Signore,  he  is 
the  body  servant  of  the  Duca  di  Scorpa !  " 

At  this  even  Derby  started,  but  he  said  quite 
calmly,  "  Poor  devil !  The  question  is,  what  will 
you  do  with  him?  " 

"  He  must  be  put  under  the  arrest " 

"  Well,  naturally,"  chimed  in  Porter. 

But  Derby  interposed :  "  He  shall  be  put  under 
nothing  of  the  kind  until  he  can  give  an  account  of 
himself.  There  is  no  knowing  what  fancied  griev- 
ance he  may  have  against  me.  Wait  until  he  has 
been  heard.  The  question  of  punishment  can  be 
considered  then.  But  in  the  meantime  he  must  be 
nursed ! " 

"  You  have  his  brother  in  the  settlement — Sal- 
vatore  Calluci,  the  man  to  whom  you  have  given 
special  duty  in  the  night  shaft."  The  priest's  red 
head  wagged  mournfully :  "  It  was  to  the  wife  of 
Salvatore  you  gave  an  extra  goat  because  of  her 
children !  "  But  then  he  added,  brightening  a  little 
at  the  thought,  "  I  am  sure — of  a  truth  I  am  sure, 
Signore,  that  the  brother  had  no  hand  in  this !  " 

"  Very  well,  then ;  we  will  take  him  to  the  house 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         263 

of  Salvatore.  We  will  say  merely  that  an  accident 
has  happened — do  you  hear?  I  do  not  want  the 
story  of  an  attempted  assassination  to  get  about." 
Derby's  voice  had  grown  quite  weak  as  he  spoke, 
and  the  priest  and  Porter  were  both  too  concerned 
for  him  to  think  of  opposing  any  wish  he  might 
express  in  regard  to  the  prisoner.  So  they  laid 
the  man  across  the  saddle  of  Padre  Filippo's  horse, 
and  Porter  and  the  padre  walked  on  either  side  of 
him  into  camp.  Derby  rode  his  own  horse,  but  by 
the  time  he  reached  the  mine,  he  had  lost  so  much 
blood  that  he  was  pretty  fit  for  the  doctor  himself. 
Tiggs,  a  lean,  wiry  Yankee,  sandy-haired  and  re- 
sourceful, was  a  tolerable  surgeon,  and  he  plastered 
Derby  up,  pronouncing  the  injury  nothing  more 
serious  than  a  flesh  wound. 

Luigi  Calluci  meanwhile  was  carried  into  the  hut 
of  his  brother  and  put  to  bed.  If  Salvatore  and 
his  wife  had  any  idea  of  the  cause  of  his  "  acci- 
dent," they  said  nothing.  They  were  among  the 
most  intelligent  of  the  miners,  and  their  gratitude 
to  Derby  for  the  change  in  their  condition,  was 
proportionate. 

But  it  was  not  alone  the  Callucis  who  had  made 
fast  strides.  The  whole  settlement  had  undergone 
a  change  that  was  nothing  short  of  transforma- 
tion. One  reason  for  the  rapid  improvement  was 
doubtless  the  influence  exerted  by  the  Sicilian  car- 
penter who  had  been  to  America  and  who  had  re- 
turned a  "  great  man  "  and  rich.  Through  him  as 


Interpreter,  all  things  the  American  did  were  good; 
;and  the  "  land  of  plenty  "  lost  nothing  in  the  tell- 
ing. The  people  began  to  look  upon  the  new 
mining  process  as  a  miracle,  and  the  American  as 
sent  by  the  Blessed  Virgin.  The  wages  were  stupen- 
dous— as  much  as  sixty  cents  a  day!  But  best  of 
all,  they  were  wages  for  work  that  a  human  being 
could  do.  Around  the  miners'  houses  were  the  be- 
ginnings of  gardens,  and  several  families  had,  in 
addition  to  the  goat,  a  few  chickens. 

Every  day  Derby  went  to  the  hut  of  the  Calluci. 
Gradually  consciousness  came  back  to  Luigi. 
Slowly,  as  reason  returned,  the  events  of  the  past 
weeks  formed  themselves  in  distinct  sequence.  He 
knew  where  he  was  now — at  the  "  Little  Devil." 
Had  he  not  himself  descended  its  ladders  into  the 
mine's  burning  pits?  Was  not  that  why  he  was 
undersized  and  weak  of  lungs?  He  bore  scars  that 
had  seared  even  deeper  than  through  the  flesh.  He 
knew  the  huts,  too :  caves  in  which  men  lived  like 
beasts.  It  was  all  clear  except  the  surroundings  in 
which  he  found  himself.  The  haggard  faces  of  his 
brother  and  his  sister-in-law  were  familiar,  yet  not 
as  he  remembered  them.  The  withered  bodies  of  the 
.children  seemed  not  nearly  so  pathetic!  Then,  full 
of  bewilderment,  he  heard  his  sister-in-law  singing. 
Singing!  Could  it  be  possible  that  a  voice  could 
sing  in  the  "  Little  Devil  "  settlement !  Distinctly 
he  heard  another  sound,  the  voices  of  children  at 
play. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         265 

Thinking  all  this  must  be  merely  the  creation  of 
his  brain,  he  raised  himself  on  his  elbow  and  made 
a  careful  survey  of  the  room.  There  was  no  doubt 
that  he  was  in  a  good  bed,  covered  by  a  thick  new 
quilt,  and  the  walls  were  cleanly  white-washed. 
The  air  held  none  of  the  foul  and  strangling  odors 
which  never  had  been,  and  never  could  be,  forgotten. 
That  his  brother  had  moved  and  had  become  a  well- 
to-do  peasant  of  the  mountain  slopes  and  vineyards 
was  the  only  explanation  possible.  He  tried  to  get 
out  of  bed,  but  fell  back  dizzy,  and  his  mind  wan- 
dered off  again  to  the  semi-conscious  vagaries  of 
illness. 

In  this  state  of  mind,  he  had  become  used  to  a 
new  presence — a  very  big,  very  kind  personality 
that  hauntingly  resembled  the  Americano — it  was, 
of  course,  one  of  those  phantoms  that  appear  be- 
fore fevered  imaginations.  He  realized  that,  and 
now  he  made  an  effort  to  detach  the  dream  from 
the  reality. 

But  even  as  he  was  trying  to  put  his  thoughts 
in  order,  the  door  opened — and  he  vividly  saw  the 
figure  of  his  vision  followed  by  his  sister-in-law. 
Thinking  that  his  mind  was  wandering,  he  lay  quite 
still.  Then  he  heard  a  kindly  voice  saying,  "  I 
have  brought  soup  for  him  with  me — in  this  jar. 
You  have  only  to  heat  it." 

Luigi  felt  a  strong  hand  clasp  his  wrist  and  feel 
for  his  pulse.  Then  came  the  full  belief  that  this 
was  no  dream,  but  reality,  and  that  it  was  the 


266         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Tyrant,  the  Americano  himself,  who  laid  hands  on 
him.  With  a  frantic  effort  he  sprang  up  and  tried 
to  close  his  fingers  around  his  enemy's  throat !  But 
firm,  powerful  hands  gripped  his  shoulders  and 
forced  him  quietly  down  in  his  bed.  Then  he  lost 
consciousness. 

When  he  came  to,  he  thought  he  had  dreamed  the 
whole  occurrence.  His  brother  and  Padre  Filippo 
were  sitting  beside  him,  and  they  would  not  let  him 
talk.  But  gradually,  as  his  strength  returned,  he 
took  in  the  story.  From  his  brother,  from  the 
neighbors,  from  the  priest  most  of  all,  he  heard,  bit 
by  bit,  of  the  work  that  the  Americano  had  accom- 
plished— the  Americano  whom  he,  Luigi,  had  nearly 
slain.  Slowly,  slowly,  he  understood  that  the 
"  Little  Devil  "  mine  had  been  re-christened  "  The 
Paradise  " — not  by  the  nobles  who  owned  it,  but 
by  the  people  who  worked  in  it.  And  then  little  by 
little  the  resentment,  the  bitterness,  the  grievances 
of  his  long,  hard  life  turned  him  against  the  Duke 
Scorpa  just  as  his  realization  of  what  Derby  was 
doing  won  him  over  to  the  American. 

That  Scorpa  should  have  sent  a  man  to  stab  him 
was,  curiously  enough,  a  fact  that  did  not  seem  to 
trouble  Derby  in  the  least.  It  was,  after  all,  no 
more  than  he  might  have  expected.  Before  he  had 
left  Rome,  Scorpa  had  warned  him.  He  rather  ad- 
mired him  for  that. 

Derby  was  heart  and  soul  interested  in  his  settle- 
ment. In  the-  short  space  of  time  since  he  had  ar- 


THE   TITLE    MARKET         267 

rived  in  Sicily,  the  incredible  had  already  come  to 
pass — and  to  Derby,  as  he  looked  forward,  there 
was  every  reason  to  feel  assured  that  the  settlement 
would  develop  as  he  had  planned.  The  output  of 
the  mines  promised  to  be  up  to  the  most  sanguine 
expectation.  The  whole  scheme  was  organized  and 
started — there  was  nothing  to  do  now  but  to  keep 
it  going. 

In  the  meantime  he  received  a  cable  which,  when 
deciphered,  ran : 

"  Telegraph  Celtic  at  Gibraltar,  giving  Hobson  instructions 
where  to  find  you.  Put  package  he  carries  in  safe  keeping. 
In  case  of  serious  development  use  own  judgment." 

Hobson  was  one  of  J.  B.  Randolph's  secretaries. 
Derby  at  once  wired  to  Hobson  to  await  him  in 
Naples.  Then,  leaving  Tiggs  and  Jenkins  in 
charge,  he  and  Porter  embarked. 

As  they  leaned  over  the  deck  rail  watching  the 
blue  shallows  where  the  waters  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean curled  away  from  the  ship's  prow,  Porter 
said: 

"  It  must  be  good  to  be  going  back  to  Rome 
with  the  feeling  that  you  have  carried  out  what  you 
started  to  do.  It's  a  big  feather  in  your  cap,  and 
now  there  is  only  one  thing  needed  to  make  the  whole 
episode  a  romance  from  start  to  finish ! " 

Derby  interrogated  good-humoredly,  "  And  that 
is ?  " 

"  You  will  probably  go  up  in  the  air  if  I  tell 
you." 


268         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Derby  looked  up  from  the  water.  "  Go  ahead — 
say  what  you  like " 

"  You  ought  to  marry  Miss  Randolph ! "  Porter 
declared  abruptly,  and  before  Derby  could  protest 
he  hurried  on :  "  Yes,  I  know  what  you  would  say 
— she  is  too  rich  and  she  is  scheduled  to  marry  a 
title.  But  I  don't  think  she  is  the  sort  of  girl  that 
really  puts  as  much  stock  in  titles  as  it  would  seem ; 
and  as  for  money,  by  the  time  you  have  two  or  three 
mines  like  the  '  Little  Devil '  going,  you  will  be 
pretty  rich  yourself.  Even  with  your  present  pros- 
pects, no  one  could  accuse  you  of  marrying  her  for 
her  fortune." 

"  Prospects  are  very  different  from  actual  money, 
and  compared  to  her  I'm  a  pauper,"  Derby  an- 
swered. "  I  don't  care  what  people  accuse  me  of, 
but  to  marry  a  girl  like  Nina  Randolph — even  as- 
suming the  unlikelihood  that  she'd  have  me — would 
be  a  fatal  mistake,  unless  I  had  a  fortune  to  match 
her  own.  Every  changing  hour  of  the  day  would 
bring  fresh  doubt ;  she  would  never  believe  in  a 
poor  man's  love.  How  could  she ! " 

Derby  stood  up  straight,  thrust  his  hands  into 
the  pockets  of  his  ulster,  and  as  Porter  tried  to 
protest,  he  withdrew  from  the  discussion  by  de- 
claring that  there  was  nothing  to  discuss.  For 
himself — he  was  but  a  human  machine  that  God  had 
set  upon  the  earth  to  bore  holes  in  it,  and  to  set 
swarms  of  human  ants  working. 


CHAPTER     XXIII 

THE  SPIDER'S  WEB 

IN    Rome,    after    Easter,    society    blossomed    out 
afresh.     Giovanni  Sansevero  had  returned,  and 
to  Nina  the  commencement  of  the  spring  season 
promised  a  repetition  of  the  winter. 

Nina's  antipathy  to  the  Duke  Scorpa  remained 
unchanged,  and  to  her  annoyance  it  had  happened 
frequently,  when  dining  out,  that  he  had  taken  her 
in  to  dinner.  Each  time  his  unctuous,  "  It  is  my 
pleasure,  Signorina,  to  conduct  you,"  gave  her  so 
strong  a  feeling  of  resentment  that  she  had  to 
exert  a  real  effort  to  put  her  finger  tips  on  his  coat 
sleeve.  She  always  kept  the  distance  between  them 
as  wide -as  possible  by  the  angle  at  which  her  arm 
was  bent. 

On  looking  back,  however,  she  had  to  acknowledge 
that  his  manner  had  undergone  a  radical  change. 
He  no  longer  alarmed  her  by  aggressive  pursuit, 
nor  sought  to  lead  the  conversation  to  those  personal 
topics  which  she  had  found  so  repellent.  Further- 
more, he  never  alluded  to  the  threat  he  had  made 
to  her  that  day  at  the  hunt,  nor  even  mentioned  his 
rejected  suit.  And  yet  she  felt  apprehensively  that 
he  had  not  given  up  his  original  determination. 

269 


270         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

In  the  meantime  he  was  untiring  in  his  efforts  to 
interest  her,  and  evinced  an  ability  to  keep  the  con- 
versation going  with  great  skill — even  more  skill 
than  Giovanni,  whose  natural  attractiveness  could 
afford  to  do  without  the  effort  that  Scorpa  found 
necessary.  He  flattered  her  by  his  assumption  that 
she  was  a  woman  of  the  world,  and  he  disguised  the 
exaggeration  of  his  expressions  in  such  a  way  that 
she  thought  he  was  speaking  but  the  barest  truth. 
For  instance,  he  dilated  upon  the  particular  qualities 
for  which  Nina  herself  adored  the  princess,  until  it 
became  apparent  to  her  that,  after  all,  Scorpa  must 
be  a  man  of  sensitive  perceptions. 

Nevertheless,  the  underlying  feeling  of  terror  with 
which  he  filled  her  at  the  first  moment  of  each  en- 
counter was  far  worse  than  mere  dislike.  Intui- 
tively, she  regarded  him  as  a  menace,  and,  through 
his  unvarying  politeness,  she  found  herself  trying 
to  fathom  his  real  intentions.  What  object  could  he 
have  had  in  ranging  himself  with  the  suitors  for 
her  hand?  He  was  very  rich  himself.  Aside  from 
his  own  fortune,  "  poor  Jane  " — as  every  one  called 
his  first  wife — had  left  a  handsome  amount,  which, 
according  to  European  custom,  was  entirely  in  his 
control.  Perhaps  he  wanted  still  more  money,  and 
thought  that  he  could  find  in  her  another  source  of 
supply  to  be  exhausted  and  practically  thrust  aside. 
Many  tales  that  Nina  had  heard,  many  things  that 
she  had  observed  were  not  good  for  the  girl's  all  too 
ready  cynicism — and  the  hard  little  lines  around  her 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          271 

mouth  that  the  princess  so  disliked  to  see,  were  grow- 
ing deeper. 

The  question  of  international  marriage  was  one 
on  which  Nina  found  herself  becoming  quite  skepti- 
cal. She  admitted  that  there  were  happy  examples. 
Her  aunt,  for  instance.  Surely  no  wife  was  ever 
more  loved  and  appreciated  than  the  princess,  even 
though  her  husband  had  one  serious  failing.  But 
then,  did  not  some  American  husbands  also  gamble? 

In  the  Masco  household  too,  the  bonny  Kate  was 
certainly  in  no  need  of  sympathy.  That  her  posi- 
tion was  not  as  good  as  her  husband's  name  should 
have  given  her  was  her  own  fault.  She  was  not  one 
of  those  gifted  with  the  chameleon  faculty  of  harmo- 
nizing with  her  background.  Among  the  mellow 
pigments  of  the  Roman  canvas  she  was  a  glaring 
splotch  of  primary  color.  But  she  was  far  from  un- 
happy. 

Indeed,  so  far  as  Nina's  observation  could  pene- 
-  trate,  the  general  impression  of  the  average  Americo- 
Italian  marriage  was  of  sympathetic  comradeship  be- 
tween husband  and  wife;  in  nearly  every  household 
she  had  found  the  indescribably  charming  atmo- 
sphere of  a  harmonious  home. 

Yet  proposals  for  the  hand  of  the  American 
heiress  were  so  common  that,  in  spite  of  the  delight- 
ful households  of  her  countrywomen,  Nina  had  long 
since  begun  to  think — first  in  fun  and  then  more 
seriously — of  the  palaces  of  Italy  as  so  many  spider 
webs  waiting  for  the  American  gilded  fly.  It  was  at 


272          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

the  Palazzo  Scorpa  that  her  theory  became  actu- 
ality. 

The  princess  had,  very  much  against  Nina's  will, 
taken  her  to  see  the  duchess  on  the  day  after  their 
own  dance.  But  a  serious  indisposition  had  pre- 
vented the  duchess  from  receiving — not  only  on  that 
particular  day,  but  for  the  rest  of  the  winter. 
Toward  the  end  of  March,  however,  in  response  to 
a  note,  Nina  was  finally  obliged  to  enter  the  Palazzo 
Scorpa. 

It  was  a  rugged  gray  stone  fortress  of  a  place, 
"  like  a  monster,"  Nina  said,  "  of  the  dragon  age, 
that  sulkily  remained  asleep  and  hidden  among 
the  narrow,  twisted  streets  that  had  crept  around 
it." 

Through  the  yawning  gateway  they  entered  a 
sunless  courtyard.  Even  the  porter  at  the  door, 
notwithstanding  his  gold  lace  and  crimson  livery, 
was  austere  and  forbidding.  Within,  the  palace 
had  been  refurnished  in  the  most  lavish  Florentine 
period,  but  the  effect  of  the  high-vaulted  rooms  was 
that  of  a  prison. 

One  room,  however,  through  which  they  passed  to 
reach  the  reception  apartments  of  the  duchess,  gave 
Nina  a  little  thrill  in  spite  of  her  antipathy.  The 
Scorpas  had  belonged  to  the  "  Blacks,"  that  is  to  the 
ecclesiasticals,  and  this  room  was  not  repaired  in 
modern  fashion,  but  hung  in  tattered  purple  silk. 
On  one  side  stood  a  solitary  piece  of  furniture — a 
great  gilt  throne  upholstered  in  red  velvet,  and  above 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          273 

it  hung  a  portrait  of  Pope  Alexander  VI,  the  whole 
surmounted  by  a  canopy  of  red  velvet. 

"  Was  he  a  relation  of  the  duke?  "  Nina  whis- 
pered, aghast  at  the  resemblance. 

"  Who,  child?  "  asked  the  princess. 

"  Rodrigo  Borgia." 

"  No  one  knows.     Hush !  " 

"  But  why  the  throne?  Were  the  Scorpas  kings 
— or  what?" 

"  Before  the  secular  unification  of  Italy,"  the  prin- 
cess answered,  "  the  Holy  Fathers  used  to  visit  the 
Scorpa  cardinals.  There  has  always  been  a  Scorpa 
among  the  cardinals.  The  one  now  is  Monsignore 
Gamba  del  Sati.  Del  Sati  is  one  of  the  numerous 
names  of  the  Scorpa  family." 

Nina  cast  another  glance  at  the  portrait  of  Alex- 
ander VI.  The  sinister  face  was  so  like  the  present 
duke's  that  it  made  her  shudder,  and  her  imagination 
at  once  pictured  slaves  and  prisoners  being  dragged 
along  these  same  stone  floors.  At  the  end  of  ten  or 
twelve  rooms,  each  gloomy,  yet  over-rich  with  archi- 
tectural adornments  and  modern  elaboration,  two 
lackeys  lifted  the  hangings  covering  the  last  door- 
way, and  announced : 

"  Sua  Eccellenza  la  Principessa  Sansevero ! " 

"  Mess  a  Randolph." 

The  Duchess  Scorpa  was  very  gracious  to  the 
American  heiress.  But,  unaccountably,  Nina  had  a 
strangled  feeling,  as  though  she  were  a  bird  and  had 
been  enticed  into  a  cage.  It  was  a  ridiculous  notion, 


274          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

for,  even  following  out  the  simile,  the  door  was  open, 
she  knew;  and,  for  that  matter,  the  bars  were  too 
far  apart  to  hold  her,  as  soon  as  she  should  choose 
to  slip  through.  But  the  feeling  of  the  cage  was 
oppressively  vivid,  and  she  clung  as  closely  to  her 
aunt's  side  as  she  could.  Friends  of  the  princess 
rather  monopolized  her,  however,  while  the  duchess 
neglected  her  other  guests  to  talk  to  Nina.  To  add 
to  the  girl's  distress,  the  duke,  stroking  his  heavy 
chin  with  his  fat  hand,  stood  beside  her  chair  with 
what  seemed  a  proprietary  air,  and  a  smile  that  was 
intolerable.  "  Well,  my  guests,"  his  manner  seemed 
to  say,  "  how  do  you  like  my  choice  ?  She  is  not  all 
that  I  might  ask  for,  but  she  will  do — quite  nicely." 

Nina  glanced  appealingly  at  her  aunt,  but  Elea- 
nor's back  was  turned.  Involuntarily  she  looked  to- 
ward the  doorway — Giovanni  was  to  meet  them 
there,  and  she  longed  to  see  his  slender  figure  appear 
between  the  portieres,  to  hear  the  announcement  of 
the  well-known  name  which  was  no  less  great  than 
that  of  the  odious  man  who  was  trying  to  compro- 
mise her  by  his  air  of  proprietorship. 

Nina  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  sprang  to  her 
feet,  in  the  very  midst  of  a  long-winded  story  about 
— she  had  no  idea  what  the  duchess  was  saying  to 
her,  but  she  realized  that  she  had  done  an  inexcus- 
ably gauche  thing,  not  only  interrupting,  but  in 
starting  to  go  before  her  chaperon  made  the  move. 
And  her  discomfiture  was  increased  by  a  quick  sense 
of  the  Potensi's  derisive  criticism.  Recovering  her- 


THE   TITLE    MARKET         275 

self,  she  exclaimed  rapidly :  "  I  am  so  much  inter- 
ested in  sculpture;  may  I  look  at  that  statue?  " 

The  duchess,  far  from  showing  resentment  at  the 
interruption,  was  apparently  delighted  with  the  op- 
portunity of  impressing  upon  her  guest  the  great- 
ness of  the  palace  and  the  family  of  the  Scorpas. 
"  Certainly,"  she  cooed,  as  nearly  as  a  snapping 
turtle  can  imitate  a  turtledove ;  "  that  is  a  genuine 
Niccola  Pisano.  The  original  document  is  still  in- 
tact in  which  he  agreed  with  the  cardinal  of  our 
house  to  execute  it  himself.  The  portrait  of  our 
ancestor  who  ordered  the  statue  is  in  the  gallery." 

Before  Nina  could  resist,  she  found  herself  being 
conducted  between  mother  and  son  through  the 
numerous  rooms  which  terminated  finally  in  the  gal- 
lery. Unlike  most  of  the  collections  of  Italy,  this 
included  many  modern  canvases. 

Before  the  portrait  of  a  thin,  heavy-boned,  fright- 
ened-looking English  girl,  the  duke  assumed  a  deeply 
sentimental  air,  sighing  as  though  out  of  breath. 
"  That  is  the  portrait  of  my  beloved  Jane,"  he  said. 
"  It  was  painted  by  Sargent  while  we  were  on  our 
honeymoon."  The  artist,  with  his  consummate  skill 
of  characterization,  had  transferred  a  crushed, 
fatalistic  helplessness  to  the  canvas.  Nina  found 
herself,  partly  in  pity,  partly  in  contempt,  scrutiniz- 
ing the  face  of  the  woman  who  had  brought  herself 
to  marry  such  a  man. 

Suddenly  an  indescribable  feeling  of  oppression 
seized  her.  She  looked  away  from  the  picture,  and 


276          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

then,  glancing  around  to  speak  to  the  duchess,  she 
saw  the  edge  of  her  dress  disappearing  through  the 
hangings  of  the  doorway,  while  between  herself  and 
her  retreating  hostess  stood  the  stolid  figure  of  the 
duke,  with  the  most  odious  smile  imaginable  upon  his 
horrid  face. 

With  a  flush  of  anger  that  made  her  temples 
throb,  Nina  realized  that  a  dastardly  trap  had  been 
sprung  upon  her.  To  leave  a  young  girl  even  for  a 
moment  unchaperoned  was  against  the  strictest  rule 
of  Italian  propriety.  The  duchess  had  brought  her 
all  this  distance  on  purpose  to  leave  her  with  the 
villainous  duke — in  a  situation  that,  should  it  become 
known,  would  so  compromise  an  Italian  girl  that 
there  would  be  no  place  for  her  in  the  social  system 
of  her  world  afterward  outside  of  a  convent.  Her 
marriage  with  the  duke  would  be  almost  inevitable. 

Determined  to  give  no  evidence  of  the  terror  that 
gripped  her,  with  the  most  fearless  air  she  could  as- 
sume she  attempted  to  pass  the  duke ;  but  he  blocked 
her  way  so  that  her  manoeuvres  came  down  to  the  in- 
dignity of  a  game  of  blind  man's  buff.  Nina  held 
her  head  very  high  and  looked  straight  at  her  tor- 
mentor. "  Please  allow  me  to  pass."  She  tried  hard 
to  speak  quietly  and  to  keep  the  tremulousness  out  of 
her  voice. 

For  answer  Scorpa  quickly  closed  the  intervening 
distance  between  them,  and  the  next  thing  she  knew 
the  grasp  of  his  thick,  hot  hands  burned  through  the 
sleeve  of  her  coat,  and  his  face  was  thrust  near  to 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          277 

her  own.  In  a  frenzy  of  fury  she  wrenched  herself 
free,  and  without  thought  or  even  consciousness  of 
what  she  was  doing,  she  struck  him  full  in  the  face. 

Instead  of  recoiling,  he  caught  and  pinned  her 
arms  in  a  grip  like  a  vice.  "  Ah,  ha,  so  that  is  the 
mettle  you  are  made  of,  is  it,  you  little  fiend !  Don't 
think  that  I  mind  your  fury — you  will  be  a  wife 
after  my  own  heart  when  I  have  tamed  you !  I  am  a 
man  of  my  word — I  said  I  would  marry  you,  and  I 
will !  Not  many  men  would  want  to  marry  a  woman 
of  your  temper,  but  you  suit  me !  " 

In  her  horror  Nina  felt  her  throat  grow  dry. 
She  stared  at  the  thick,  red,  cruel,  animal  lips  of  the 
man  with  a  loathing  that  almost  paralyzed  her  power 
to  move ;  while  his  hands  pressed  numbingly  into  the 
flesh  of  her  arms. 

"  Let  me  go !  Do  you  hear  " — her  voice  shook 
with  fright  and  rage — "  let  me  go !  At  once !  You 
coward !  You  beast !  " 

And  like  a  beast  he  snarled  his  answer :  "  Scream 
all  you  please !  You  could  not  be  heard  if  you  had 
a  throat  of  brass ! "  Then  mockingly  he  sneered, 
"  Come,  won't  you  dance  with  me,  as  you  did  with 
the  pretty  Giovanni?  You  had  his  arms  around  you 
lovingly  enough !  But,  by  Bacchus !  the  way  to  win 
a  woman  is  to  seize  her,  after  the  good  old  customs 
of  our  ancestors  !  "  And  with  that  he  drew  her  close 
to  him — so  close  that,  though  she  screamed  and 
struggled  like  a  fury,  his  lips  drew  nearer — 
nearer 


278         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Then  a  j  ar  struck  through  her  blinding  rage ;  in 
a  daze  she  felt  herself  released,  and  realized  that 
Giovanni  had  appeared ;  that  he  had  gripped  Scorpa 
around  the  throat  until  his  eyes  started  out  of  their 
sockets ;  and  then  sent  him  sprawling  to  the  floor. 

With  the  relief  and  reaction,  everything  seemed  to 
recede  from  Nina  and.  grow  black.  Dimly  she  felt 
that  Giovanni  had  put  his  arm  around  her  to  sup- 
port her.  "  Come  quickly,  Mademoiselle,  before 
there  is  a  scene  " — she  heard  his  voice  as  though  it 
were  far  off.  But  she  was  perfectly  conscious. 
She  knew  that  Scorpa  still  lay  on  the  floor  as  Gio- 
vanni hurried  her  through  another  set  of  rooms  and 
led  her  down  a  staircase  that  brought  them  to  a 
second  entrance  door — one  by  which,  as  it  happened, 
Giovanni  had  come  in.  The  footman  on  duty  looked 
as  though  he  were  going  to  bar  their  egress,  but  Gio- 
vanni ordered  him  to  open  the  door  quickly.  "  The 
lady  is  fainting,"  he  said,  and  a  glance  at  Nina's 
face  too  well  confirmed  it.  Besides,  the  man  would 
hardly  have  dared  disobey  a  Sansevero.  Once  in  the 
open  air,  they  lost  no  time  in  going  around  to  the 
main  entrance.  The  Sansevero  carriage  was  wait- 
ing, and  Giovanni  put  Nina  in.  "  Wait  here  a 
moment — I  will  go  up  and  tell  Eleanor." 

Nina  was  shaking  from  head  to  foot.  "  No — no 
— don't  leave  me ;  take  me  away !  " 

"  It  is  not  seemly  to  drive  with  you,  Mademoiselle ; 
I  will  return  in  a  moment." 

But  by  this  time  Nina  was  hysterical.     "  No — no 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         279 

— please  take  me  home,"  she  begged.  "  The  carriage 
can  come  back."  And  she  began  to  sob. 

Giovanni  hesitated,  then  jumped  in  quickly,  telling 
the  coachman  to  drive  home  as  fast  as  possible. 

"  It  must  have  been  a  frightful  experience,"  he 
said,  as  they  started.  "  Thank  God  I  came  even 
when  I  did." 

A  shudder  ran  through  Nina.  Instinctively  she 
drew  away  from  Giovanni,  merely  because  he  was  a 
foreigner,  and  of  the  same  race  as  Scorpa.  She 
could  still  see  those  thick,  loathsome  lips  approach- 
ing her  own,  and  the  recollection  gave  her  a  nauseat- 
ing sense  of  pollution.  Holding  her  hands  over  her 
face,  she  sobbed  and  sobbed. 

Giovanni  let  her  cry  it  out.  It  was  not  a  moment 
to  play  on  her  feelings — they  were  too  strained  to 
stand  any  other  emotion.  Yet  had  he  considered 
nothing  but  his  own  advantage,  he  could  not  better 
have  used  his  opportunity  than  by  doing  exactly 
what  he  did. 

"  Listen,  Mademoiselle  " — his  voice  was  soothing 
— as  kind  and  unimpassioned  as  though  he  were  talk- 
ing to  a  troubled  little  child.  "  Promise  me  that 
you  will  try  not  to  think  about  this  afternoon.  It 
will  do  no  good.  Try  to  forget  it,  if  you  can. 
That  man  shall  never  again  in  any  way  enter  your 
life.  At  least  I  can  promise  you  that!  Here  we 
are!  Now,"  he  added  in  English,  as  the  footman 
opened  the  door,  "  go  upstairs  and  lie  down.  I  will 
go  back  immediately  and  tell  Eleanor  that  you  felt 


280         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

suddenly  ill  and  that  the  carriage  took  you  home. 
It  is  not  likely  that  Scorpa  has  given  any  version  of 
the  affair." 

But  a  new  fear  assailed  Nina.  "  You  cannot  go 
back!  The  duke  will  kill  you!  He  would  do  any- 
thing, that  man ! " 

There  was  pride  in  Giovanni's  easy  answer.  "  He 
is  not  very  agile,"  he  laughed ;  "  to  stab  he  would  have 
first  to  reach  me !  "  Then  seriously  and  very  gently 
he  added,  "  You  are  overstrung  and  nervous,  Made- 
moiselle. On  my  honor  I  promise  you  need  never 
fear  him  again." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that?  "  Startled,  she 
put  the  question. 

"  Nothing,"  he  rejoined  lightly,  "  only  that  a  man 
never  repeats  a  performance  like  that  of  the  duke. 
The  Italian  custom  prevents ! "  he  added,  with  a 
curious  expression  of  whimsicality  over  which  Nina 
puzzled  as  she  mounted  the  stairs  to  her  room.  Even 
in  her  shaken  state,  she  marveled  at  the  contrast  be- 
tween Giovanni's  finely  chiseled  features  and  the 
elastic  strength  that  must  have  been  necessary  to 
overpower  the  bull  force  of  the  duke.  She  thought 
gratefully  of  the  sympathy  in  his  gentle  voice,  as  well 
as  in  his  whole  manner  during  the  ten  minutes  which 
were  all  that  had  elapsed  since  the  duchess  left  her. 
She  realized  with  what  perfect  tact  and  perception 
he  had  treated  her  on  the  way  home.  And  suddenly 
her  heart  went  out  to  him.  She  felt  now,  as  she  went 
through  the  long  stone  corridors  and  galleries  toward 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         281 

her  room,  that  instead  of  drawing  away  from  him, 
were  he  at  that  moment  beside  her,  she  might  easily 
sob  her  emotions  all  peacefully  out  in  his  arms. 

In  the  meantime  Giovanni  returned  to  the  Palazzo 
Scorpa  and,  ascending  the  main  stairway,  entered 
the  antechamber  of  the  reception  room.  The  old 
duchess  was  hovering  anxiously  at  the  entrance  of 
the  rooms  leading  to  the  picture  gallery,  the  closed 
portieres  screening  her  from  the  guests  to  whom  she 
had  not  dared  to  return  without  Nina.  The  rugs 
laid  upon  the  marble  floors  dulled  all  sound  of  Gio- 
vanni's footfalls,  so  that  he  appeared  without  warn- 
ing, and  with  his  own  hand  hastily  lifted  the  portiere, 
disclosing  her  to  her  waiting  guests.  She  had  no 
choice  but  to  precede  him,  doubtless  framing  an  ex- 
cuse for  Nina's  absence.  If  so,  she  need  not  have 
troubled,  for  Giovanni  spoke  in  her  stead,  and  with 
such  distinct  enunciation  that  the  whole  roomful 
heard : 

"  Miss  Randolph  felt  suddenly  ill  and  asked  to  go 
home.  I  came  just  as  the  carriage  was  disappear- 
ing, and  found  the  duchess  much  disturbed  over  it, 
though  I  assured  her  it  was  quite  usual  for  young 
girls  to  go  about  alone  in  America." 

His  look  at  the  duchess  demanded  that  she  corrob- 
orate his  account. 

"  It  was  too  bad,"  she  said,  glibly  enough.  "  I 
should  have  accompanied  her  as  I  was,  without  hat 
or  mantle  even,  but  Miss  Randolph  was  gone  before 


282          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

I  really  had  time  to  think.  It  is,  after  all,  but  a 
step  to  the  Palazzo  Sansevero." 

Eleanor  Sansevero  arose.  Through  a  perfect 
control  and  sweetness  of  manner  the  most  careless 
observer  might  have  read  displeasure.  "  Of  course," 
she  said,  enunciating  each  word  with  smoothly  modu- 
lated distinctness,  "  in  America  there  could  be  no 
impropriety  in  a  young  girl's  driving  alone,  but  I 
am  sorry  you  did  not  send  for  me.  Your  son  left 
the  room  at  the  same  time — he  has  not  returned." 

The  American  princess  towered  in  slim  height 
above  the  stolid  dumpiness  of  the  duchess.  From 
appearance  one  would  never  have  guessed  rightly 
which  of  the  two  women  could  trace  her  lineage  for 
over  a  thousand  years. 

The  mouth  of  the  duchess  went  down  hard  in  the 
corners,  and  her  dull,  turtle  eyes  contracted,  then 
her  lips  snapped  open  to  answer,  but  Giovanni  again 
saved  her  the  trouble.  "  I  met  Scorpa  on  the  street 
about  ten  minutes  ago.  He  was  going  toward  the 
Circolo  d' Acacia." 

"  Ah  yes,  Todo  was  filled  with  regret,  as  he  wanted 
to  show  Miss  Randolph  the  portraits,"  haltingly 
echoed  the  duchess,  but  she  glanced  uneasily  at  the 
door.  "  I  was  glad  he  did  not  see  her  indisposition 
— he  has  a  heart  as  tender  as  a  woman's,  and  it 
would  have  distressed  him  greatly !  I  do  hope,  prin- 
cess, that  you  will  find  her  quite  recovered  on  your 
return.  I  think  it  must  be  the  effect  of  sirocco." 

The  other  guests  supported  her  in  chorus.     "  The 


THE    TITLE   MARKET         283 

sirocco  is  very  treacherous,"  ventured  one.  "  She 
was  perhaps  not  acclimatized  to  Rome,"  said  a 
second.  "  I  thought  she  looked  pale,"  chimed  a 
third. 

The  princess  made  her  adieus  at  once  and,  fol- 
lowed by  Giovanni,  left  the  palace.  For  a  few  min- 
utes the  various  groups,  disposed  about  the  Scorpa 
drawing-room,  conversed  in  low  whispers,  but  by  the 
time  the  Sanseveros  were  well  out  of  earshot  the 
duchess  had  turned  to  the  whispering  groups  with  a 
hauteur  of  expression  conveying  quite  plainly  that 
it  was  not  to  be  endured  that  a  Sansevero,  born 
American,  should  imply  a  criticism  of  a  Duchess 
Scorpa,  born  Orsonna. 

"  A  headstrong  young  barbarian  from  the  United 
States  is  quite  beyond  my  control,"  she  shrugged. 
"  How  can  I  help  it  if  she  chooses  to  run  from  the 
palace,  like  Cinderella  when  the  clock  strikes  twelve !  " 

One  or  two  of  those  present  who  were  friends  of 
the  Princess  Sansevero  may  have  resented  the  implied 
slight  to  her  democratic  birth.  But  though  there 
was  a  vague  appreciation  of  something  beneath  the 
surface  in  this  American  girl's  sudden  departure, 
there  was  nothing  to  which  any  one  could  take  ex- 
ception. 

The  Contessa  Potensi,  however,  had  long  waited 
for  just  such  an  opportunity,  and  seized  it.  "  I  felt 
sorry  for  Eleanor  Sansevero,"  she  said  sweetly.  "  It 
.  puts  her  in  an  unendurable  position  to  have  to  de- 
fend such  a  person.  Naturally  she  has  to  defend 


284.          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

her,  since  she  is  her  niece.  I  am  sure  she  did  not 
want  her  for  the  winter — but  her  parents  would  not 
keep  her.  It  is  no  wonder  they  would  be  willing  to 
give  her  a  big  dot !  " 

There  was  general  excitement.  "  What  do  you 
know? "  the  company  cried  in  chorus.  "  Tell  us 
about  it!" 

But  the  Potensi  at  once  became  very  discreet.  For 
nothing  would  she  take  away  a  young  girl's  char- 
acter. Besides,  Eleanor  Sansevero  was  one  of  her 
best  friends — it  would  not  be  loyal  to  say  anything 
further.  More  definite  information  she  would  not 
disclose,  but  her  manner  left  little  to  the  imagination. 

"  Surely  you  can  tell  us  something  of  what  is 
said,"  insinuated  the  old  Princess  Malio,  adjusting 
her  false  teeth  securely  in  the  roof  of  her  mouth  as  if 
the  better  to  enjoy  the  delectable  morsel  of  scandal 
that  she  felt  was  about  to  be  served.  But  the  con- 
tessa,  with  a  "  could-if -she-would  "  expression,  re- 
fused to  say  anything  more,  and  the  old  princess 
turned  instead  to  the  duchess  with,  "  Tell  us  the 
truth  about  Miss  Randolph's  sudden  illness ! " 

The  truth,  of  course,  was  out  of  the  question. 
Public  sympathy  must  have  gone  against  her  and 
her  son,  and  she  hedged  to  gain  time,  "  It  is  not  all 
worth  the  thought  needed  to  frame  words." 

The  old  Princess  Malio  made  a  swallowing  motion, 
still  waiting.  "  Yes  ?  "  she  encouraged  eagerly. 

"  Any  one  could  see  what  happened,"  said  the 
duchess  reluctantly,  as  though  she  were  loath  to 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          285 

speak  scandal.  "  The  American  girl,  through  lack 
of  training — it  is,  after  all,  not  her  fault,  poor 
thing — knows  no  better  than  to  try  to  arrange  mat- 
ters for  herself!  She  wanted,  of  course,  to  have  an 
opportunity  of  talking  to  my  Todo  alone.  Her 
plan  to  go  into  the  picture  gallery  here,  however, 
necessitated  my  chaperoning  her,  and  then — con- 
trary to  her  expectations — Todo,  who  did  not  fall  in 
with  her  scheme,  said  he  had  an  engagement  and  at 
once  left.  She  could  not,  of  course,  declare  the  pic- 
ture gallery  of  no  interest,  so  I  took  her,  but  in  her 
disappointment  she  quite  lost  her  temper,  so  much 
so  that  it  made  her  ill.  And  then  she  took  the  mat- 
ter in  her  own  hands  and  went  home — I  was  never  so 
astonished  in  my  life!  She  ran  off  with  Giovanni 
Sansevero  so  fast  I  could  not  catch  up  with  them.  I 
suppose  he  put  her  in  the  carriage,  but  for  all  I 
know  he  took:  her  somewhere  else.  I  followed  to  the 
front  door  and  waited,  not  knowing  what  to  do. 
Just  as  I  returned  to  inform  Princess  Sansevero,  for 
whom  I  have  always  had  the  highest  regard,  Gio- 
vanni commenced  with  his  own  account.  What  could 
I  do  except  agree  to  his  statement  ?  " 

She  looked  inquiringly  from  one  to  the  other. 
"  That  is  the  whole  story !  But  I  have  made  up  my 
mind  to  one  thing  " — she  spread  her  fat  fingers  out 
— "  not  even  her  millions  would  induce  me  to  coun- 
tenance Todo's  marriage  with  such  a  self-willed  girl 
as  that ! " 

The  old  Princess  Malio  looked  like  a  bird  of  prey 


286         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

whose  prize  morsel  had  been  stolen  from  it.  "  There 
is  more  in  this  than  appears,"  she  whispered  to  a 
timid  little  countess  sitting  next  to  her. 

The  latter's  half -hearted,  "  Do  you  think  so, 
really?  "  voiced  the  attitude  of  nearly  all  present. 
The  Scorpas  were,  to  use  the  old  Roman  proverb, 
"  sleeping  dogs  best  let  alone,"  and  the  Sanseveros, 
though  not  as  rich,  were  none  the  less  too  great  a 
family  to  side  against. 

While  the  voice  of  the  duchess  was  still  echoing  in 
the  drawing-room  of  the  Palazzo  Scorpa,  Nina  had 
thrown  herself  into  the  corner  of  the  sofa  in  her  own 
room.  She  had  a  perfectly  normal  constitution,  but 
she  had  been  not  only  infuriated  and  horrified, 
but  really  frightened,  and  her  nerves  were  un- 
strung. 

As  she  grew  calmer,  she  thought  more  clearly ;  and 
she  found  that  the  afternoon's  experience,  horrible 
as  it  was,  held  some  leaven — Giovanni's  behavior 
stirred  her  deeply.  She  had  realized  the  power  of 
his  muscles  under  his  slight  build  before — when  he 
had  held  the  Great  Dane's  throat  in  his  grip — and 
she  had  seen  his  flexibility,  in  turning  instantane- 
ously from  fury  to  suavity.  Yet  his  masterful 
attack  upon  her  assailant,  followed  by  his  sympathy 
and  comprehension  on  the  way  home,  thrilled  her  as 
with  a  revelation  of  unguessed  capacities.  John 
Derby  could  not  have  come  to  her  rescue  better,  nor 
could  she  have  felt  more  protected  and  calmed  with 


THE   TITLE    MARKET         287 

her  childhood's  friend  at  her  side  in  the  carriage, 
than  with  this  alien  of  a  foreign  race. 

She  went  into  her  dressing-room  and  bathed  her 
eyes  and  cheeks  in  cold  water.  Then,  thinking  the 
princess  must  surely  have  returned  by  this  time,  she 
decided  to  go  into  the  drawing-room.  On  her  way 
she  met  her  aunt  coming  toward  her,  followed  closely 
by  Giovanni,  who  put  his  finger  on  his  lips,  just  as 
the  princess  exclaimed,  "  Nina,  my  child,  what  hap- 
pened to  you?  You  did  very  wrong  to  run  off  home 
alone.  I  can't  understand  your  having  done  such  a 
thing.  It  was  not  only  ill-mannered,  but  it  put  you 
in  a  very  questionable  light." 

Over  the  princess's  shoulder  Giovanni  was  making 
an  unmistakable  demand  for  silence.  "  I'm  very 
sorry,"  Nina  faltered — Giovanni  was  looking  at  her 
intensely,  pleadingly,  his  finger  on  his  lips — "  but  I 
— never  felt  like  that  before.  I  got  terribly — nerv- 
ous, and  I  felt  that  if  I  did  not  get  away  from  that 
house  I  should  go  mad."  Even  the  recollection  made 
Nina  look  so  distraught  that  her  aunt's  indignation 
turned  to  anxiety,  and  she  put  her  arm  around  the 
girl  and  led  her  into  the  drawing-room. 

"  It  is  not  like  you,  dear,  to  lose  control  of  your- 
self," she  said  tenderly,  and  then,  as  she  scrutinized 
Nina's  face  in  the  better  light,  she  added :  "  You  do 
look  white,  darling.  You  had  better  lie  down  here 
on  the  sofa.  I  think  I  will  prepare  you  some  tea 
of  camomile,"  and  then,  with  a  final  touch  of  gentle 
admonition,  she  added,  "  We  must  not  have  any  more 


288         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

such  scenes !  "  Nina  hoped  for  a  chance  to  ask  Gio- 
vanni why  she  might  not  tell  the  princess  what  had 
happened,  but  the  latter  did  not  leave  the  room. 
Having  sent  for  the  camomile  flowers,  she  made  Nina 
a  cup  of  tea,  and  the  subject  of  the  afternoon's  oc- 
currence was  dropped. 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

WEIGHED   IN    THE    BALANCE 

A.L  that  evening  Nina  was  tense  and  nervous, 
not  only  because  of  her  experience  at  the 
Palazzo  Scorpa,  but  because  of  something 
portentous  in  Giovanni's  unexplained  demand  for 
silence.  He  was  not  at  the  same  dinner  party  with 
her,  but  she  went  on  to  a  dance  at  the  Marchese 
Valdeste's,  feeling  sure  that  she  would  have  a  chance 
to  speak  with  him  there.  He  always  danced  with  her 
several  times  during  a  ball,  and,  as  he  was  not  very 
much  taller  than  she,  she  could  easily  talk  to  him 
without  danger  of  any  one's  overhearing. 

Her  partners  undoubtedly  found  her  distraite;  her 
attention  vacillated  from  one  side  of  the  ballroom 
to  the  other,  as  she  searched  for  a  well-known,  grace- 
ful figure  and  a  small,  sleek  black  head.  All  the 
time,  too,  she  was  fearful  of  seeing  a  square-jawed 
face  that  kept  recurring  to  her  memory  as  she  had 
last  seen  it  that  afternoon — distorted,  with  mouth 
open,  and  eyes  protruding  from  their  sockets.  Vivid 
pictures  of  the  terrible  incident  flashed  before  her  as 
she  tried  to  listen  to  her  partners ;  now  she  was 
swept  with  horror  and  revulsion,  and  again  she  felt 
a  strange  thrill  at  thought  of  the  steely  strength  of 


290          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Giovanni's  arms,  as  he  had  half  carried  her  down  the 
stairway.  But  she  looked  in  vain  for  her  protector 
— neither  he  nor  the  duke  appeared. 

"  What  is  it,  Signorina  ?  "  Prince  Allegro's  voice 
broke  jarringly  upon  her  recollections.  "I  am 
afraid  I  dance  too  fast !  " 

Nina  recovered  herself  with  a  start.  "  Oh,  no ! 
But  I  feel — a  little  tired ;  I  wish  we  might  sit  down." 

"  Let  me  conduct  you  into  the  next  room — or  shall 
I  take  you  to  the  princess?  Perhaps  it  would  be 
better  for  you  to  go  home." 

Nina  smiled.  "  No,"  she  said,  "  I  am  all  right. 
The  room  is  very  warm,  I  think." 

The  Contessa  Potensi,  walking  for  once  with  her 
husband,  passed  through  the  adjoining  room  just  as 
Nina  had  finally  succeeded  in  focusing  her  attention 
upon  Allegro's  sprightly  chatter.  As  they  passed, 
the  contessa  stopped  a  moment  to  say  to  Nina,  "  I 
am  so  glad  to  see  that  you  have  recovered  from  your 
sudden  indisposition  of  this  afternoon."  But  her 
tone  was  neither  solicitous  nor  sincere,  and  she  hid 
her  hands  in  such  a  way  that  she  might  have  been 
making  with  her  fingers  the  little  horns  that  are 
supposed  to  be  a  protection  against  the  evil  eye. 

"  I  am  much  better,  thank  you,"  Nina  answered 
simply. 

"  Don't  let  me  keep  you  standing.  I  merely 
wanted  to  be  assured  that  you  are  recovered.  I 
would  not  interrupt  a  tete-a-tete  \  " 

The  contessa's  manner  suggested  to  Nina  that  it 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          291 

was  perhaps  questionable  taste  for  a  young  girl  to 
sit  out  part  of  a  dance.  Instead,  therefore,  of  re- 
suming her  place  on  the  sofa,  she  asked  Allegro  to 
take  her  to  the  princess. 

During  the  rest  of  the  evening  she  had  an  uncom- 
fortable conviction  that  the  Contessa  Potensi  was 
talking  about  her.  She  always  had  this  impression 
in  some  degree  whenever  the  contessa  was  present, 
but  to-night  it  was  strong  and  unmistakable.  And 
after  a  while  she  became  aware  that  other  people's 
eyes  were  upon  her  with  a  new  expression,  that  was 
not  idle  conjecture  nor  unmeaning  curiosity.  The 
old  ladies  against  the  wall  whispered  together  and 
glanced  openly  in  her  direction,  as  their  gray  heads 
bobbed  above  their  fans. 

At  the  end  of  the  evening,  as  she  was  descending 
the  staircase  with  her  aunt  and  uncle,  she  was  joined 
by  Zoya  Olisco,  who  whispered  excitedly,  "  Tell  me, 
cara  mia — what  happened  this  afternoon  ?  " 

Nina  started.  "What  have  you  heard?"  She 
tried  to  look  unconcerned,  but  her  face  was  troubled, 
and  she  drew  Zoya  out  of  her  aunt's  hearing. 

"  It  is  rumored  that  you  lost  your  temper — oh,  but 
entirely !  and  walked  yourself  out  of  the  Palazzo 
Scorpa  without  so  much  as  saying  good-by  or  wait- 
ing for  your  chaperon." 

Nina  hesitated,  then  said  in  an  undertone,  *'  Yes,  I 
am  afraid  it  is  true.  Was  it  a  dreadful  thing  to 
do?" 

The  contessa  laughed  softly.     "  I  told  you  that 


292          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

you  were  a  girl  after  my  own  heart.  In  your  place  I 
should  have  walked  myself  out  of  that  house  as 
quickly  as  I  had  entered,  but  all  the  same — that 
would  not  be  my  advice.  However,  this  is  not  the 
serious  part  of  the  story."  Even  Zoya's  buoyancy 
became  restrained  as  she  concluded :  "  All  Rome  is 
asking  what  you  have  done  with  the  duke.  He  fol- 
lowed you  out  of  the  room  and  has  not  been  seen 
since.  Giovanni  is  said  to  have  spoken  of  seeing  him 
at  the  club — and  that  is  known  to  be  untrue.  Carlo 
was  at  the  Circolo  d'Acacia  all  the  afternoon ;  so  was 
that  Ugo  Potensi,  as  well  as  a  dozen  others — and 
neither  Scorpa  nor  Giovanni  was  there!  So  where 
is  the  duke  ?  Come,  tell  me !  " 

A  look  of  terror  came  into  Nina's  eyes,  and  the 
young  contessa  darted  her  a  swift  returning  glance 
of  comprehension.  "  Listen,  carissima,"  she  said, 
"  I  am  your  friend,  therefore  don't  look  so  fright- 
ened— you  are  a  regular  baby !  The  situation  is  not 
difficult  to  read.  Obviously  there  was  a  scene  be- 
tween you,  the  thick  duke,  and  the  agile  Giovanni. 
Just  what  it  was  all  about,  of  course,  I  can  only 
surmise ;  but  I  do  know  that  Giovanni  is  deep  in  it, 
and,  what  is  more  important,  I  know  also  that  the 
result  is  likely  to  be  troublesome  for  you.  For  men 
to  quarrel  between  themselves  is  one  thing ;  but  when 
a  woman  comes  into  it,  one  can  never  see  the  end." 

"Woman?  I  know  nothing  of  any  woman." 
Nina  shook  her  head. 

"  I  told  you  that  you  were  a  baby !     But  we  can't 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          293 

talk  here.  I  shall  come  to  see  you  to-morrow,  but 
not  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  I  shall  then  per- 
haps be  useful,  for  in  the  meantime  I  am  going  about 
like  the  wolf  in  the  sheep's  pelt,  to  see  what  news  I 
can  pick  up.  Till  then — have  courage !  " 

Just  then  the  Sansevero  carriage  was  announced, 
and  Nina  was  obliged  to  hasten  after  her  aunt.  At 
the  door  she  glanced  back  at  Zoya  with  a  half-ques- 
tioning look,  which  the  contessa  answered  by  blowing 
her  a  kiss. 

That  night  the  little  sleep  Nina  was  able  to  get 
was  fitful  and  broken  by  dreams.  The  duke  and  his 
mother  appeared  to  her  as  cuttlefish  in  a  cave  under 
perpendicular  cliffs  that  ran  into  the  sea.  Nina  was 
out  in  a  little  boat  alone,  and  the  waves  dashed  the 
tiny  craft  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  cave  where  the 
cuttlefish  were  waiting ;  finally  she  came  so  close  that 
one  tentacle  seized  her.  Terrified,  she  awoke.  After 
hours  of  half-waking,  half-sleeping,  formless  con- 
fusion, she  dreamed  again.  In  this  dream  she  and 
Giovanni  were  on  horseback.  She  was  sitting  in  a 
most  precarious  position  on  the  horse's  shoulder,  but 
was  held  securely  by  Giovanni's  arm  around  her 
waist.  Behind  them  she  heard  the  pounding  of  many 
horses  in  pursuit.  The  whole  dream  had  the  under- 
lying terror  of  a  nightmare,  and  just  as  the  distance 
diminished,  and  they  were  nearly  caught,  the  ground 
gave  way  and  they  pitched  over  a  precipice.  As 
they  were  falling  and  about  to  be  dashed  on  th« 
rocks  at  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  she  heard  a 


294          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

woman's  laugh,  and  recognized  it  as  that  of  the 
Contessa  Maria  Potensi. 

She  awoke,  trembling,  and  lit  her  lamp.  It  was 
nearly  four  o'clock,  and  she  had  slept  but  half  an 
hour.  Near  her  bed  was  an  American  magazine ;  she 
read  the  advertisements,  to  fill  her  mind  with  thoughts 
commonplace  and  practical  enough  to  banish  dreams. 
The  sun  was  rising  when  at  last  she  fell  asleep,  and 
she  did  not  awake  until  nearly  noon. 

The  morning's  mail  brought  her  a  letter  from 
John  Derby — a  good  letter,  simple  and  frank,  like 
himself,  full  of  enthusiasm  and  of  plans  for  making 
the  "  Little  Devil "  a  model  settlement.  He  would 
arrive  in  Rome,  he  told  her,  within  a  week.  But  even 
John's  letter  gave  her  only  a  few  moments'  relief 
from  her  distressing  memories. 

Knowing  that  she  had  to  pay  visits  with  her  aunt 
again  that  afternoon,  she  put  on  her  hat  before 
lunch,  in  the  hope  of  securing  an  opportunity  to 
speak  with  Giovanni  while  waiting  for  Eleanor,  who 
always  dressed  after  luncheon.  When  she  was  nearly 
ready  to  go  down,  Celeste  answered  a  knock  at  the 
door,  but,  instead  of  delivering  a  package  or  mes- 
sage, disappeared.  After  at  least  five  minutes  she 
returned,  and,  with  a  noticeable  air  of  mystery, 
locked  the  door,  and  then  gave  Nina  a  letter.  "  I 
was  told  to  give  this  into  Mademoiselle's  hands,  with- 
out letting  any  one  know,"  she  said. 

Nina  felt  an  undefined  misgiving  as  she  tore  open 
the  envelope.  Though  she  had  never  seen  Giovanni's 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         295 

handwriting,  she  had  no  doubt  that  it  was  his.  It 
looked  as  though  it  might  not  be  very  legible  at  best ; 
but  on  the  sheet  before  her  the  shaking,  uneven  letters 
trailed  off  into  such  filiform  indistinctness  that  she 
had  to  go  through  it  several  times  before  she  could 
decipher  the  following,  written  in  French : 

"  Mademoiselle,  I  understand  you  well  enough  to  be  sure 
that  you  will  ask  for  the  truth  at  all  costs,  but  in  giving  it  to 
you,  I  also  depend  upon  your  honor  to  divulge  to  no  one,  not 
even  Eleanor,  what  I  tell  you:  I  fought  Scorpa  this  morning 
and  have  sustained  a  bullet  wound  in  the  arm.  Unfortunately, 
it  was  impossible  to  hide,  as  the  bone  is  broken  and  it  had  to 
be  put  in  plaster.  Scorpa's  condition  is,  I  am  told,  serious. 
If  it  goes  badly,  I  shall  have  to  leave  the  country,  though  I 
doubt  if  he  allows  the  real  cause  to  be  known.  I  rely  upon 
your  discretion  as  completely  as  you  may  rely  upon  my  having 
avenged  an  insult  offered  to  the  purest  and  noblest  of  women. 

"  I  beg  you  to  believe,  Mademoiselle,  in  the  respectful  de- 
votion of  the  humblest  of  your  servants. 

"  Di  VALDO." 

Nina  folded  the  letter  and  locked  it  away  in  her 
jewel  case,  moving  as  if  in  a  daze.  She  felt  faint 
and  suffocated.  Giovanni  had  risked  his  life — for 
her  sake!  He  was  hurt — what  if  the  wound  should 
prove  serious,  what  if  he  should  lose  his  arm !  Oh,  if 
only  she  might  go  to  her  aunt  and  pour  out  the  whole 
story !  But  she  was  in  honor  bound  to  say  nothing 
without  Giovanni's  permission,  and  she  must  master 
herself  at  once  in  order  to  appear  as  usual  at 
luncheon. 

A  little  later,  as  she  entered  the  dining-room,  she 


296         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

heard  the  prince  saying — "  Pretty  serious  accident." 
He  turned  at  once  to  her: 

"  You  have  heard  ?  "  he  said,  and  as  she  merely 
inclined  her  head,  he  hastened  to  explain :  "  Gio- 
vanni, it  seems,  slipped  this  morning  and  broke  his 
arm.  But,  though  the  fracture  is  a  very  serious 
one,  he  is  in  no  danger." 

Nina  tried  to  speak,  but  her  tongue  seemed  glued 
to  the  roof  of  her  mouth.  Naturally  enough,  both 
Eleanor  and  Sansevero  interpreted  her  pallor  and 
agitation  as  a  sign  of  interest  in  Giovanni.  "  He 
broke  the  elbow,"  the  prince  continued ;  "a  '  T ' 
break,  it  is  called,  which  may  leave  the  joint  stiff. 
There  was  a  piece  of  bone  splintered."  Nina  gripped 
the  under  edge  of  the  table — she  knew  what  had 
splintered  the  bone !  She  almost  screamed  aloud,  but 
she  set  her  lips,  held  tight  to  the  table,  and  tried  to 
appear  calm ;  while  Sansevero,  in  spite  of  his  anxiety 
for  his  brother's  condition,  could  not  help  feeling 
great  satisfaction  in  what  looked  so  encouraging  to 
Giovanni's  suit. 

"  Giovanni  went  to  the  surgeon's,"  he  continued. 
"  Imagine — he  walked  there !  He  should  never  have 
attempted  such  a  thing.  He  had  quite  an  operation, 
for  the  splintered  portions  of  the  bone  had  to  be  cut 
away.  The  arm  is  now  in  plaster,  and  they  won't 
be  able  to  tell  for  weeks  whether  he  ever  can  move 
his  elbow  again.  They  brought  him  home  a  couple 
of  hours  ago.  He  is  now  a  little  feverish,  but  a 
sister  has  come  to  nurse  him,  and  we  have  left  him 


THE   TITLE    MARKET         297 

to  rest."  Then  Sansevero  turned  to  his  wife :  "  It 
all  sounds  very  queer  to  me,  Leonora.  What  was  the 
matter  with  the  boy,  anyway  ?  Why  did  he  not  send 
for  me?  And  why  did  he  not  go  to  bed  like  a  sen- 
sible human  being  and  stay  there?  " 

Nina  was  on  tenterhooks.  She  so  wanted  to  ask 
her  aunt  and  uncle  what  they  really  thought!  She 
wondered  if  they  truly  had  no  suspicions.  Or  were 
they  perhaps  dissimulating  as  she  herself  was  trying 
with  poor  success  to  do?  She  could  not  understand 
how  the  princess,  who  was  usually  quick  of  percep- 
tion, could  possibly  be  blind  to  the  real  facts  of  the 
case.  She  felt  choked — as  if  she  herself  had  fired 
the  shot  that  might  bring  far  more  horrible  conse- 
quences than  her  aunt  and  uncle  knew. 

The  princess,  seeing  Nina's  face  grow  whiter  and 
whiter,  asked  anxiously  if  she  felt  ill. 

"  No — not  a  bit !  "  Nina  answered,  looking  as 
though  she  were  about  to  faint.  After  several  un- 
successful attempts  to  turn  the  conversation  into 
happier  channels,  the  princess  met  with  some  success 
in  the  topic  of  John  Derby  and  the  miracles  with 
which  rumor  credited  him.  Nina  listened  with  half- 
pathetic  interest,  but  her  hands  trembled,  and  the 
few  mouthfuls  she  took  almost  refused  to  go  down 
her  throat.  In  her  heart,  at  that  moment,  every- 
thing gave  way  to  Giovanni.  She  reproached  her- 
self deeply  for  lack  of  belief  in  him.  Always  she 
had  acknowledged  that  he  was  charming,  but  the 
doubt  of  his  sincerity  had  weighed  against  her 


298          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

really  caring  for  him.  She  had  accepted  John 
Derby's  casual  words,  "  The  Europeans  do  a  lot  of 
beautiful  talking  and  picturesque  posing,  but  when 
it  comes  to  real  devotion  you  will  find  that  one  of 
your  Uncle  Samuel's  nephews  will  come  out  ahead." 
All  that  was  ended;  there  was  no  more  question 
about  what  the  Europeans  would  do  when  it  came  to 
a  test.  Giovanni  had  done  far  more  than  say  beauti- 
ful, graceful  things — he  had  proved  to  her  that  her 
honor  was  dearer  to  him  than  his  life,  and  she  was 
stirred  to  the  very  depths  of  her  soul.  In  the  midst 
of  Eleanor's  talk  of  John  Derby,  she  tried  to  imagine 
what  John  would  have  done  in  Giovanni's  place.  He 
would  have  thrashed  the  man  within  an  inch  of  his 
life — that  she  knew.  But,  manly  as  that  would  have 
been,  it  could  not  compare  with  Giovanni's  course 
in  silently  waiting  fourteen  or  fifteen  hours  and  then 
deliberately  going  out  in  the  dull  gray  dawn  and 
standing  up  at  forty  paces  as  a  target  for  Scorpa's 
bullet.  She  thought  how,  while  she  had  been  merely 
tossing  in  her  bed,  unable  to  sleep,  intent  on  herself, 
dwelling  on  her  injured  dignity  and  the  horror  of 
that  brute's  touch,  Giovanni  had  been  sitting  up 
through  the  same  long  night,  putting  his  affairs  in 
order,  and  looking  death  in  the  face !  And  she  found 
herself  forced  to  realize  that  Giovanni — whose  in- 
stability had  been  the  strongest  argument  against 
allowing  herself  to  love  him — had  paid  a  price  so  high 
that  his  right  to  her  faith  must  henceforward  be 
unquestioned. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET         299 

She  had  only  a  vague  idea  when  luncheon  ended, 
or  what  visits  she  and  her  uncle  and  aunt  paid  that 
afternoon.  She  went  through  the  rest  of  the  day  as 
though  dazed.  Fortunately,  her  agitation  seemed 
natural  to  the  prince  and  princess,  and  her  apparent 
interest  in  Giovanni  was  so  near  to  the  truth  that 
she  did  not  mind.  Late  that  afternoon  she  and  Zoya 
Olisco  sat  together  behind  the  tea  table,  for  most 
of  the  time  alone.  Zoya  had  the  story  pretty 
straight,  but  Nina  simply  looked  at  her  dumbly — 
answering  nothing.  She  was  relieved,  however,  to 
hear  that,  so  far,  people  had  evidently  not  ferreted 
out  the  facts. 

They  were  not  to  find  out  through  the  papers. 
On  the  morning  after  the  duel,  the  Tribunale  had 
this  paragraph: 

"  Society  of  Rome  will  be  sorry  to  learn  that  the  Duke 
Scorpa  is  seriously  ill  at  his  Palazzo.  The  doctor's  bulletins 
announce  that  their  illustrious  patient  is  suffering  from  a 
malignant  case  of  fever  which  at  the  best  will  mean  an  illness 
of  many  weeks." 

But  it  was  not  until  the  next  day  that  there  was 
a  paragraph  to  the  effect  that  the  Marchese  d£ 
Valdo  had  met  with  an  accident.  A  passer-by  had 
seen  him  slip  in  front  of  his  club,  the  Circolo  d'Acacia. 
It  seems  the  wind  carried  his  hat  off  suddenly,  and, 
as  he  put  his  hand  out  to  catch  it,  he  fell  and  broke 
his  arm.  Following  this  came  several  other  social 
items,  and  then  the  second  day's  bulletin  about  the 
Duke  Scorpa,  saying  that  the  gravity  of  his  condi- 
tion remained  unchanged. 


300          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Nina  quite  refused  to  be  moved  to  pity  by  the 
news  of  Scorpa's  critical  state.  Her  only  anxiety 
in  connection  with  him  was,  what  would  they  do  to 
Giovanni,  in  case  Scorpa  should  die?  For  how  was 
Giovanni  to  be  got  out  of  the  country,  when  he  was 
said  to  be  delirious  in  bed !  By  day  she  .thought,  and 
by  night  she  dreamed,  that  they  were  going  to  cut 
off  his  arm. 

As  the  excitement  was  dying  down,  John  Derby 
returned  from  Sicily.  He  noticed  that  Nina  looked 
nervous  and  ill,  but  she  tried  to  convince  him  that 
it  was  the  result  of  late  hours  and  dancing.  Be- 
sides, he  had  no  opportunity  of  talking  to  her  alone, 
for  in  consequence  of  his  success,  all  who  were  in- 
terested in  Sicily  or  mines  flocked  to  the  Palazzo  San- 
severo  as  soon  as  it  became  known  that  Derby  was 
there.  The  fuss  made  over  him  pleased  him,  of 
course ;  for,  after  all,  he  was  quite  human  and  quite 
young,  and  there  was  great  exhileration  in  being  the 
bearer  of  good  news.  He  would  not  promise  any 
definite  amount  to  the  holders  of  the  "  Little  Devil." 
There  would  be  some  money,  but  that  was  all  he  could 
say.  He  did  not  yet  know  how  much.  To  Nina's 
delight,  he  actually  got  Carpazzi  to  accept  the  po- 
sition of  Tiggs,  who  had  to  return  to  America. 
The  plant,  once  started,  no  longer  needed  both  en- 
gineers. And  Carpazzi's  tumble-down  castle  not  far 
from  Vencata,  enabled  him  to  go  without  hurt  to 
his  European  ideas  of  dignity  to  "  look  after  his  own 
property." 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          801 

In  spite  of  her  explanations,  John  was  very  much 
worried  about  Nina.  She  certainly  was  not  herself. 
Several  times  he  caught  a  half-appealing  look  in  her 
eyes,  as  though  she  had  something  weighing  on  her 
mind.  Yet  she  gave  him  no  chance  to  ask  her  con- 
fidence. Finally  he  had  the  good  luck  to  be  left  with 
her  for  a  few  moments  alone,  but  there  was  a  lack 
of  frankness  in  her  face  that  he  had  never  seen  there 
before,  and  she  had  an  apprehensive,  frightened  man- 
ner that  alarmed  him. 

The  question  he  was  almost  ready  to  put,  in  spite 
of  his  resolution,  remained  unasked,  and  he  said  in- 
stead :  "  Look  here,  Nina,  I  don't  think  you  are 
well!  You're  awfully  jumpy.  I  never  saw  you  like 
this  at  home.  Has  anything  happened  ?  " 

Nina  shook  her  head. 

"  Honest  and  straight?  " 

She  looked  at  him  with  a  distracted  expression  that 
reminded  him  of  a  child  afraid  of  losing  its  way. 

"  Jack  " — she  hesitated ;  her  voice  sounded  con- 
strained— "  please  don't  look  so — so  serious.  It  is 
nothing — that  I  can  tell  you!  Don't  notice  that  I 
am  any  different.  Really,  I  am  not.  You  are  my 
best  friend,  and  the  first  I  would  go  to  if  I  needed 
help." 

Yet,  as  she  said  the  words,  she  felt  with  a  sudden, 
poignant  pain  that  they  were  no  longer  true.  Her 
mind  was  in  a  turmoil,  and  at  that  very  moment,  had 
she  followed  her  inclination,  she  would  have  screamed 
aloud.  She  did  not  understand  why  she  was  so 


302          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

wretched;  but  one  thing  was  certain — it  was  Giov- 
vanni  who  filled  her  thoughts ! 

Perhaps  Derby  interpreted  the  change  in  her.  He 
put  a  question  suddenly,  "  Nina,  you  couldn't  really 
care  for  an  Italian,  could  you?  " 

Nina  flushed.  "  I  don't  know  whether  I  could  or 
not,"  she  said.  "  I  think  there  may  be  just  as  won- 
derful men  over  here  as  at  home.  I  know  there  are 
some  that  are  quite  as  brave." 

Derby  frowned.     "  Nina,  Nina " 

But  Nina  did  not  even  hear  his  interruption.  "  I 
wish  you  knew  Don  Giovanni,  Jack,"  she  said.  "  You 
would  like  Italians  better,  I  think !  " 

"  It  is  not  that  I  think  ill  of  Italians — quite  the 
contrary;  but — I  should  not  like  to  think  of  your 
marrying  Don  Giovanni." 

"  And  why  shouldn't  I  ? "  The  question  came 
near  to  summing  up  the  problem  of  her  own  medita- 
tions, and  his  opposition — with  its  carefully  main- 
tained impersonal  quality — piqued  her  and  made  the 
smoldering  consideration  of  marrying  Giovanni  sud- 
denly flame  into  a  definite  intention. 

"  Well?  "  she  repeated. 

"  Because  I  think  American  men  make  the  best 
husbands." 

Nina  was  brutal.  "  You  say  that  because  you 
are  an  American  yourself !  " 

He  let  the  injustice  of  her  remark  pass  unnoticed. 
"  I  merely  repeat,"  he  said  calmly,  "  that,  married 
to  the  Marchese  di  Valdo,  you  would  be  a  very  un- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          303 

happy  woman.  That  is  my  straight  opinion.  If 
you  don't  like  it,  I  can't  help  it." 

"  Why  should  I  be  unhappy  ?  " 

"  Don't  let's  discuss  it." 

"  That  is  just  like  an  American.  Do  you  wonder 
women  care  for  Europeans  ?  A  man  over  here  would 
sit  down  sensibly  and  tell  you  every  sort  of  reason." 

"  Yes,  and  one  sort  of  reason  as  well  as  another. 
For,  or  against,  whichever  way  the  wind  might  hap- 
pen to  be  blowing !  " 

In  spite  of  herself,  Nina  was  disagreeably  con- 
scious of  the  truth  of  his  judgment.  But  she  shut 
her  mind  to  it,  as  she  exclaimed,  "  And  you  say  you 
don't  dislike  Italian  men ! " 

"  No,  I  don't !  You  are  altogether  wrong.  I  have 
been  over  here  often  enough  to  admire  them  tre- 
mendously, in  a  great  many  ways.  But  I  don't  like 
to  see  the  girl  I — the  girl  I  have  known  all  her  life, 
marry  a  man  that  I  feel  sure  will  break  her  heart." 

"  Aunt  Eleanor's  heart  is  not  broken !  " 

Derby  walked  up  and  down  the  floor,  then  stood 
still,  stuffed  his  hands  into  his  pockets,  and  looked 
down  at  his  shoes  as  though  their  varnish  were  the 
only  thing  in  life  that  interested  him. 

"  Well?     Is  Aunt  Eleanor's  heart  broken?  " 

"  Perhaps  not ;  but,  even  so,  you  and  she  are  very 
different  women.  From  her  girlhood  she  was  more 
or  less  trained  for  the  life  she  leads.  She  went  from 
a  convent  school  to  the  house  of  a  brother-in-law — 
in  other  words,  from  one  dependence  to  another. 


304          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

She  is  the  type  of  woman  who  weathers  change  and 
storm  by  bending  to  the  wind." 

"  Aunt  Eleanor !  Her's  is  the  strongest  character 
I  know ! " 

"  Of  course  it  is !  But  it  is  exactly  because  she 
is  apparently  unresisting  and  pliant  to  surrounding 
conditions  that  her  spirit  is  unassailable.  You,  on 
the  contrary,  would  snap  in  the  first  tempest!  Or, 
to  change  the  simile,  have  you  ever  seen  a  young  bull 
calf  tied  to  a  tree,  and,  in  a  frantic  effort  to  get 
loose,  wind  itself  up  tighter,  until  its  head  was  pulled 
close  to  the  tree?  That  is  exactly  what  you  would 
be  over  here.  No  girl  has  ever  had  her  own  way 
all  her  life  more  than  you!  Believe  me,  you  have 
no  idea  what  it  would  mean  to  be  tied  to  a  rope  of 
convention  that  would  tighten  like  a  noose  at  any 
struggle  on  your  part.  As  the  wife  of  a  man  like 
di  Valdo,  you  would  be  bound  by  endless  petty  for- 
malities. Another  thing — which  your  aunt  has  made 
me  realize — as  an  American,  you  would  have  to  excel 
the  Italians  in  dignity  in  order  to  be  thought  to  equal 
them.  Things  perfectly  pardonable  for  them  would 
finish  you.  You  need  only  take  your  aunt  and  Kate 
Masco  for  your  examples.  Kate's  behavior  is  not 
any  worse  than  that  of  plenty  of  the  born  countesses, 
even.  But  that's  just  it — she  isn't  a  countess  born, 
and  her  ways  won't  do!  Your  aunt,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  '  grande  dame  '  in  every  fiber  of  her  being. 
Hardly  another  woman  in  Rome  has  her  graciousness 
and  dignity.  These  qualities  were  hers,  doubtless, 


THE   TITLE    MARKET         805 

from  the  beginning,  but  you  needn't  tell  me  even  she 
found  it  as  easy  to  be  a  princess  as  it  would  seem ! " 

Nina  looked  up  at  Derby  in  open-eyed  amazement. 
"  Gracious,  John !  I  never  dreamed  you  were  so  ob- 
serving! In  a  way,  I  imagine  you  are  right,  too. 
But  at  least,  if  a  woman  has  to  follow  conventions 
to  earn  a  position  over  here,  that  position  is  real  and 
worth  while  when  she  does  get  it.  And  a  woman 
like  Aunt  Eleanor  is  far  more  appreciated  here  than 
she  would  be  at  home." 

"  Humph !  "  was  Derby's  retort.  "  You  needn't 
think  that  all  the  appreciating  of  women  is  done  in 
Italy,  though  the  men  at  home  may  not  put  things 
so  gracefully  as  these  over  here,  who  have  nothing 
else  to  do  but  learn  to  turn  beautiful  phrases.  I 
don't  think  that  I  am  flattering  myself  in  saying  that 
if  I  were  to  give  up  my  life  to  the  one  accomplish- 
ment of  artistic  love-making,  I  might  make  good, 
too!  However,  that  is  pretty  far  out  of  my  line. 
I'm  a  blunt  sort  of  person,  but  I — well,  I  care  a  lot 
for  you,  Nina!  I'd  rather  see  you  marry — Billy 
Dalton,  any  day !  " 

As  Derby  brought  in  Billy  Dalton's  name,  Nina 
had  a  sense  of  flatness  that  she  would  have  been 
at  a  loss  to  explain. 

"  Jack ! "  she  cried  suddenly,  her  surface  vanity 
piqued,  but  before  even  the  sentence  which  crowded 
back  of  her  exclamation  could  frame  itself,  Gio- 
vanni's image  flashed  before  her  mind  and  pushed  out 
every  other  impression.  She  seemed  to  see  him 


306         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

racked  with  suffering,  and  all  for  her!  She  hated 
her  own  vacillation.  She  despised  herself  for  a  fickle 
flirt.  What  else  was  she?  Here  she  was  imagining 
all  sorts  of  vague  heartaches  that  were  utterly  un- 
worthy of  her  loyalty  either  to  Giovanni's  love  or 
to  Jack's  friendship.  Jack  was  her  best  friend,  al- 
most her  brother,  and  she  had  no  right  to  feel  so 
limp  because — she  did  not  finish  the  sentence  even 
to  herself;  yet  she  was  swept  into  such  a  turmoil 
of  emotion — friendship,  love,  pique,  doubt — that  she 
could  restore  nothing  to  order.  She  knew  Derby 
thought  Giovanni  wanted  her  money — instinctively 
her  mouth  hardened  as  she  thought  of  it — but  then — 
every  one  wanted  it  except  Jack !  And  at  once,  with 
an  unaccountable  baffling  ache,  she  was  brought  face 
to  face  with  the  fact  that  Jack,  as  it  happened,  did 
not  want  her  at  all ! 

Then,  hating  herself  because  she  had  for  a  mo- 
ment thought  of  Jack  as  a  possible  suitor,  and  more 
especially  because  of  the  detestable  and  unworthy 
chagrin  that  his  not  being  a  suitor  had  caused  her, 
she  became  hysterically  erratic,  aloof,  and  impossible, 
and  began  suddenly  to  talk  like  a  paid  guide  about 
the  sculptures  at  the  Vatican !  At  the  end  of  some 
minutes,  during  which  Derby  failed  to  get  anything 
in  the  way  of  a  natural  remark  from  her,  he  arose 
to  go.  He  left  with  a  strong  desire  to  send  a  doctor 
and  a  trained  nurse  to  take  Nina  in  hand. 

Down  at  the  entrance  of  the  palace  a  very  pretty 
woman  was  speaking  with  the  porter.  She  was  talk- 


THE   TITLE    MARKET,         307 

ing  vehemently  and  with  much  accompanying 
gesticulation.  As  Derby  passed  out,  she  looked  up 
into  his  face.  He  put  his  hand  to  his  hat,  in  a 
vague  remembrance  of  her  features,  wondering  where 
he  had  met  her,  and  what  her  name  might  be.  As  he 
went  through  the  archway  into  the  street,  the  recog- 
nition came  to  him.  She  was  the  celebrated  dancer, 
La  Favorita. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

"  THY  PEOPLE  SHALL  BE  MY  PEOPLE " 

THE  following  morning,  for  the  first  time  since 
his  injury,  Giovanni  was  brought  into  the 
princess's  sitting-room,  and  propped  up  on  a 
sofa.  As  occasionally  happens  in  early  spring,  mid- 
summer seemed  to  have  arrived  in  one  day,  and  the 
windows  stood  wide  open  to  the  morning  breeze. 

Sitting  in  the  full  light  of  the  windows,  and  close 
by  Giovanni's  couch,  Nina  was  making  a  necktie — 
a  very  smart  one,  of  dull  raspberry  silk;  but  she 
was  knitting  rather  because  the  occupation  steadied 
her  nerves  than  for  any  other  reason,  and  the  charm- 
ingly tranquil  picture  that  she  made  was  very  far 
from  representing  her  feelings.  She  had  never  been 
less  happy  or  peaceful  in  her  life. 

The  princess,  within  easy  earshot,  was  busily  writ- 
ing at  her  desk.  But  after  a  while,  in  answer  to 
an  appealing  look  from  Giovanni,  she  left  the  room. 
Nina  felt  no  surprise  either  at  Giovanni's  appeal  or 
at  her  aunt's  response.  She  knew  very  well  what  he 
would  say,  and  she  had  long  been  trying  to  make  up 
her  mind  what  her  answer  should  be.  Yet  no  sooner 
had  the  portieres  closed  than  an  unaccountable  dread 

308 


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took  possession  of  her,  and  she  had  an  overwhelming 
desire  to  escape. 

She  knitted  industriously,  her  head  bent,  her  eyes 
intent  upon  her  needles.  For  a  while  Giovanni  lay 
back  against  the  pillows,  idly  watching  her  progress ; 
then  he  raised  himself  on  his  unbandaged  elbow  and 
leaned  forward.  Even  this  exertion  revealed  his 
weakness :  an  increasing  pallor  overspread  his  trans- 
parent features,  and  he  spoke  as  sick  people  do — 
with  difficulty  and  as  though  out  of  breath: 
"  Mademoiselle,  you  know — what  I  have  in  my  heart 
— to  say " 

"  Don't,  ah — please "  Nina  sprang  up  and 

put  out  her  hand  in  protest. 

But  he  paid  no  heed.  "  Donna  Nina,"  he  im- 
plored, "  will  you  do  me  the  honor  to  be  my  wife? 
Carissima  mia — "  she  heard  his  voice  as  though  from 
afar,  as  he  fell  back  against  the  pillow — "  I  love 
you !  Even  a  portion  of  how  much  I  love  you  would 
fill  a  life ! "  He  took  her  hand  as  she  stood  beside 
him,  and  pressed  it  to  his  lips. 

She  felt  how  thin  his  hand  was,  and  how  it 
trembled.  Her  conscience  smote  her — it  was  all  be- 
cause of  her!  And  for  a  moment  the  answer  that 
he  sought  hung  on  the  very  tip  of  her  tongue — hung, 
faltered — and  then  raced  down  her  throat  again. 
Her  hand  drew  away  from  his  clasp,  and  she  al- 
most sobbed,  "  I  can't,  I  can't.  Oh,  I  would  if  I 
could— but  I  can't ! " 

Then  she  heard  him.  say  gently :     "  Give  me  an 


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answer  later — I  am  not  such,  just  now,  that  I  can 
hold  ray  own — I  will  wait  till  I  am  strong  again. 
Will  you  give  me  your  answer  then  ?  "  Half  chok- 
ing, she  nodded  her  head  in  assent  and  hurried  from 
the  room. 

St.  Anthony,  the  great  Dane,  who,  since  Giovanni's 
illness,  had  attached  himself  to  Nina,  stalked  after 
her.  She  went  through  the  intervening  rooms  into 
the  picture  gallery,  and  there  dropped  down  upon 
a  low  marble  seat  and  took  the  big  dog's  head  in 
her  arms. 

She  believed  in  Giovanni's  disinterestedness;  he 
had  given  her  every  reason  to  think  he  truly  loved 
her.  It  seemed  to  her  that  she  had  seen  his  real 
feeling  grow  gradually.  If  she  could  believe  in  any 
one  ever,  she  must  believe  in  him.  Even  the  astute 
little  Zoya  Olisco  had  confirmed  the  impression  by 
saying  that  all  Rome  knew  that  Giovanni  cared  noth- 
ing for  money.  There  had  been  a  very  rich  girl — 
all  the  fortune  hunters  were  after  her — and  she  was 
so  strongly  attracted  to  Giovanni  that  she  made 
no  effort  to  disguise  her  preference  for  him. 
But  he  showed  no  inclination  to  marry  a  rich 
wife. 

These  and  many  other  things  were  enough  to  con- 
vince Nina  that  his  love  was  real,  without  the  final 
proof  when  he  had  risked  his  life  for  her.  In  mere 
gratitude  she  would  have  made  the  effort  to  care  for 
him.  And  yet  the  more  she  tried  to  encourage  her 
sentiments,  the  more  they  baffled  her.  From  the  first 


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she  had  felt  timid  of  something  unknown  in  Giovanni. 
She  had  thought  herself  in  danger  of  being  attracted 
too  much,  but  now  she  felt  that,  throughout,  the 
fear  had  been  of  another  sort,  a  fear  which  she  could 
not  analyze. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  me  ?  "  she  whispered 
brokenly  to  St.  Anthony.  "  We  love  Giovanni,  don't 
we  ?  We  do !  We  do !  "  But  her  words  were  mean- 
ingless sounds  that  echoed  hollowly. 

Then  slowly  she  noted  the  great  gallery  filled  with 
things  flawless — the  mellow  canvases  of  the  old  mas- 
ters, the  marvelous  statuary,  perfect  even  in  the 
brilliant  light  streaming  through  the  eastern  win- 
dows; and  her  thoughts  turned  backwards  to  that 
day  when  the  allure  of  antiquity  had  most  strongly 
held  her — that  day  when  she  had  first  seen  Giovanni 
dance.  As  the  recollection  grew  in  vividness,  she 
was  again  aware  of  the  same  strange  sensation  that 
she  had  felt  then.  It  was  as  though  she  were  living 
in  a  past  age,  with  which  she,  as  Nina  Randolph, 
had  nothing  to  do.  Her  name  might  be  Tullia  or 
Claudia ! 

And  then  once  again  the  memory  of  Giovanni's 
high-bred  charm,  no  less  than  of  his  great  estate, 
which  she  was  now  asked  to  share,  seemed  to  hold  a 
spell  of  enchantment.  His  words,  "  Carissima,  I  love 
you,"  swept  through  her  memory  with  a  thrill  that 
the  spoken  words  themselves  had  failed  to  carry. 
She  laid  her  cheek  down  on  the  dog's  great  head, 
her  mouth  close  to  a  pointed  ear.  "  We  do  love 


313          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

him,  thou  and  I,"  she  whispered  in  Italian,  "  and  we 
will  stay  here  always — always." 

She  unclasped  her  arms  from  about  the  dog's  neck 
and  sat  up  straight,  determined  to  hurry  back 
through  the  rooms,  before  the  queer  fear  should  seize 
her  anew.  She  would  not  wait  to  analyze  her  feel- 
ings again ;  she  would  go  straight  to  the  sofa  and 
say  to  Giovanni's  ardent,  appealing  eyes — his  beauti- 
ful Italian  eyes—"  Yes." 

But  even  as  the  resolve  was  shaped,  there  followed 
swift  upon  it  an  overwhelming  wave  of  doubt  that 
made  her  clasp  her  hands  to  still  the  turmoil  within 
her  breast.  It  was  as  if  an  inner  voice  repeated, 
clearly  and  insistently,  "  You  don't  love  him !  You 
don't  love  him !  " 

The  dog  lifted  one  huge  paw  and  put  it  on  her 
knee,  his  head  went  up,  he  pushed  his  cold  nose 
against  her  cheek,  and  as  she  lifted  her  chin,  to  es- 
cape his  over-affectionate  caress,  her  glance  fell  by 
chance  on  a  picture  of  Ruth  and  Naomi.  On  the  day 
when  she  had  first  come  into  the  gallery  Giovanni 
had  repeated,  in  French,  the  words  of  Ruth;  and 
now,  as  she  gazed  absently  at  the  picture,  she  found 
that  she  was  saying  to  herself,  not  in  French  but 

in  English,  "  Thy  people  shall  be  my  people 

Gradually  an  indescribable,  comforted,  soothed  feel- 
ing crept  over  her,  as  she  looked  into  the  true, 
steadfast  eyes  of  the  pictured  Ruth — hers  were  in- 
deed the  eyes  of  one  who  could  follow  faithfully  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth. 


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"  *  Whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go,'  "  repeated  Nina 
—yes,  that  was  the  test.  Giovanni  away  from  his 
surroundings,  and  apart  from  his  name — she  could 
not  picture  him.  And  should  she  put  her  hand  in 
his,  whither  would  he  lead  her?  Where  did  his  path 
of  life  end?  She  could  not  with  any  certainty 
guess.  "  Thy  people  shall  be  my  people  " — how 
could  they  ever  be  ?  They  were  so  widely  different — 
so  utterly  different — she  had  never  realized  it  be- 
fore— and  then  without  warning,  as  a  final  move  in 
a  puzzle  snaps  into  place  and  makes  the  whole  com- 
plete, with  a  little  cry  she  started  up.  For  she  now 
knew  that  the  more  she  tried  to  focus  her  thoughts 
upon  Giovanni,  the  more  they  turned  to  another  quite 
different  personality.  Until  at  last,  as  in  a  burst 
of  light,  she  awoke  to  the  consciousness  that  the  words 
of  Ruth  were  bringing  a  great  longing  for  the 
sight  of  a  certain  pair  of  eyes  whose  expression  was 
like  those  in  the  canvas !  "  *  Whither  thou  goest,  I 

will  go '  Ah !  " — exultantly  and  with  no  fear  of 

doubt;  it  was  true!  To  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth!  .  .  . 

But  she  must  tell  Giovanni — she  must  tell  him  at 
once,  decidedly  and  finally,  "  No." 

Sadly,  regretfully,  she  crossed  the  room  again,  her 
hand  slipped  through  the  great  Dane's  collar  as 
though  to  gain  encouragement  from  his  presence. 
In  the  antechamber  of  the  room  where  Giovanni  lay, 
she  stopped  and  kissed  St.  Anthony's  head — as 
though  the  dog  in  turn  might  help  Giovanni  to  under- 


314          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

stand  that  she  was  not  in  truth  as  heartless  as  she 
seemed. 

The  stone  floors  were  covered  with  thick  rugs,  the 
hangings  were  heavy,  and  her  light  footfall  made 
no  sound.  Without  warning  she  parted  the  por- 
tieres, took  one  step  across  the  threshold,  and  halted, 
stunned — the  Contessa  Potensi  was  kneeling  beside 
Giovanni's  couch,  and  the  sound  of  Giovanni's  voice 
came  distinctly,  saying,  "For  her?  But  no!  But 
because  she  is  of  the  household  of  the  Sansevero." 
And  then  with  an  ardor  that  made  the  tones  which 
he  had  used  to  her  sound  flat  and  shallow  by  com- 
parison, she  heard  him  say,  "  Carissima,  I  swear  I 
shall  never  love  another  as  I  love  you." 

The  portieres  fell  together,  and  Nina  fled.  Two 
or  three  times  she  lost  her  way  in  the  endless  turn- 
ings of  the  palace  before  she  finally  reached  her  own 
room.  Once  there,  she  wrote  the  shortest  note 
imaginable,  declining  in  terse  and  positive  terms 
Giovanni's  offer  of  marriage.  The  pen  nearly  dug 
through  the  paper  as  she  signed  her  name.  Besides 
giving  Celeste  this  missive  to  deliver,  she  sent  her  upon 
a  tour  of  trivial  shopping — anything  to  be  left  alone. 

When  the  door  was  closed,  Nina  threw  herself 
across  the  bed,  still  hardly  able  to  credit  her  senses. 
Giovanni  had  asked  her,  Nina,  to  be  his  wife,  not 
half  an  hour  before — he  still  had  the  effrontery  to 
hope  for  a  change  in  her  answer.  He  had  dared  to 
tell  her  that  he  loved  her,  he  had  dared  to  call  her, 
too,  "  Carissima!  " 


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With  her  head  buried  in  the  pillows,  she  did  not 
hear  the  door  open,  and  the  princess  reached  the  bed 
and  took  Nina  in  her  arms  before  the  girl  knew 
that  she  had  entered. 

Nina  poured  out  the  whole  story.  The  one  clear 
idea  that  she  had  in  mind  was  to  leave  Rome  at  once. 
She  wanted  to  go  away!  Above  all,  she  wanted  to 
go  away!  She  was  by  this  time  quite  hysterical. 

The  princess's  coolness  gradually  dominated  as 
she  said  finally :  "  The  thing  is  incredible — you 
must  have  misunderstood.  I  don't  know  what  the 
explanation  is,  myself,  but  the  worst  blunder  we  can 
make  is  to  judge  too  hastily.  I  am  sure  it  will 
come  out  differently  than  it  seems,  if  you  will  but 
have  patience." 

Savagely  Nina  turned  on  her.  "  Are  you  against 
me?  You,  auntie!  Do  you  side  with  him?  And 
that  Potensi?" 

With  an  expression  more  troubled  than  angry, 
the  princess  answered  gently,  "  Of  course,  my  child, 
I  don't  side  against  you — but  I  can't  believe  that 
they  were  really  as  you  thought  they  were." 

A  sudden  violent  knocking  interrupted,  and  at  the 
same  moment  Sansevero,  who  had  been  looking  for 
his  wife  everywhere,  rushed  in,  quite  beside  himself, 
with  the  announcement  that  Scorpa  was  dead.  The 
Sanseveros  had  for  some  days  known  the  cause  of  his 
illness,  and  the  doctor  who  had  been  at  the  duel  had 
kept  them  informed  of  his  condition.  Now  there 
was  not  a  minute  to  lose!  The  news  of  the  duke's 


316         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

death  had  not  yet  been  made  public,  but  Giovanni 
must  be  got  out  of  the  country  at  once,  or  there 
would  be  trouble!  A  train  would  go  north  in  an 
hour,  and  the  prince  and  princess  hurried  off  to 
complete  the  arrangements  for  Giovanni's  depar- 
ture. 

Left  alone  in  her  room  and  to  her  own  thoughts, 
Nina's  anger  gradually  lessened.  Giovanni's  dan- 
ger, and  his  having  to  be  taken  away  so  weak  and 
ill,  appealed  to  her  humanity  and  helped  to  soften 
her  resentment.  Whether  it  had  been  for  love  of 
her  or  not,  it  was  on  her  account  that  he  had  been 
placed  in  his  present  unfortunate  situation.  He  was 
going  out  of  her  life — it  was  not  likely  that  she 
would  ever  see  him  again — but  it  took  an  hour  or 
two's  turning  of  the  subject  over  in  her  thoughts 
before  she  came  to  the  conclusion  that,  instead  of 
being  resentful,  she  ought  to  be  thankful  for  her 
escape.  She  had  finally  reached  this  frame  of  mind 
when  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door. 

"  May  I  come  in,  my  dear  ?  "  Zoya  Olisco  en- 
tered as  she  spoke.  She  stood  a  second  on  the 
threshold,  then,  closing  the  door  after  her,  crossed 
the  room  quickly  and,  taking  Nina's  face  between 
her  hands,  looked  at  her  with  a  half-quizzical 
grimace.  "  You  silly  little  cat,"  she  said  softly, 
*'  surely  you  have  not  been  melting  into  tears  over 
the  duke's  death — nor  yet  for  Giovanni's  de- 
parture? " 

"  How   do  you   know   about  it  ?     Aunt   Eleanor 


THE   TITLE    MARKET         317 

didn't  tell  you,  did  she?  Is  the  news  of  the  duke's 
death  out?  " 

Zoya's  raised  eyebrows  expressed  satisfaction,  and 
she  exclaimed  triumphantly :  "  I  knew  I  was  right  i 
Really,  it  is  extraordinary  how  things  come  about! 
No  one  has  told  me  a  word.  Yet  the  whole  story  un- 
rolled itself  in  front  of  me.  Listen  " — she  inter- 
rupted herself  long  enough  to  light  a  cigarette,  then 
sat  down  tailor  fashion  on  the  foot  of  the  lounge — 
"  I  was  but  a  moment  ago  at  the  station — my  sister 
went  back  to  Russia  this  morning.  As  I  was  leav- 
ing, whom  did  I  see  but  Giovanni  being  piloted  down 
the  trainway!  He  looked  really  ill,  and  it  would 
have  struck  any  one  as  strange  that  he  should  be 
traveling.  Then  all  at  once  I  thought  to  myself, 
'  Hm,  Hm !  Signore  il  duca  has  descended  into 
the  next  world,  and  the  one  who  sent  him  there  is 
being  banished  into  the  next  country ! '  Thereupon 
I  thought  further,  *  That  child  of  a  Nina  will  be 
hiding  her  head  under  the  pillows  of  her  bed ' — 
exactly  as  you  have  been  doing!  How  do  I  know? 
Look  at  your  hair,  and  look  at  the  pillows — and  here 
I  am  to  scold  you !  " 

Nina  looked  at  her  in  amazement.  "  You  have 
put  it  all  together,  you  wonderful  Zoya !  Compared 
to  you,  I  never  seem  to  see  anything!  Oh,  but  this 
whole  day  has  been  full  of  horrible  surprises.  I 
never  dreamed  what  sort  of  man  Giovanni  is — and 
yet  I  can't  help  feeling  sorry  co  think  of  his  being 
sent  off  ill  and  alone !  " 


318         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

"  How  very  pathetic ! "  exclaimed  Zoya  sarcastic- 
ally. "  It  is  the  very  saddest  thing  I  have  ever 
heard  of."  Then  her  tone  changed.  "  I  would  not 
waste  too  much  sympathy  on  him  for  his  loneliness, 
however,"  she  said  briskly,  "  as  he  has  a  very  charm- 
ing companion,  who,  if  accounts  are  true,  is  not  only 
diverting  but  devoted.  That  spoils  your  sad  picture 
somewhat,  does  it  not  ?  " 

"  The  Potensi ! "  escaped  Nina's  lips  before  she, 
knew  it. 

Zoya  blew  rings  of  smoke  unperturbed.  "  So  you 
have  found  that  out,  have  you?  " 

Nina  colored  with  indignation.  "  Have  you  known 
that,  too,  and  never  told  me?  Zoya,  you  call  your- 
self my  friend ! " 

But  Zoya  met  Nina's  glance  squarely,  as  she  asked 
in  turn:  "What  difference  does  it  make?  Though, 
for  that  matter,  I've  made  it  plain  all  winter;  any 
one  but  a  baby  would  have  understood  long  ago. 
But  after  all,  why  such  an  excitement  over  such  a 
commonplace  fact?  "  Then,  with  far  more  interest, 
she  said :  "  You  certainly  are  funny,  you  Ameri- 
cans. What  in  the  world  do  you  think  men  are? 
And  since  Giovanni  is  not  even  married?  However, 
to  finish  my  story:  it  was  not  the  Potensi  with  your 
hero,  but  Favorita." 

"  Favorita — the  dancer  ?  Zoya,  what  do  you 
mean  ?  " 

"  Exactly  what  I  tell  you."  Zoya  inhaled  her 
cigarette  deeply  and  then  shrugged  her  shoulders. 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          319 

"  When  I  saw  Giovanni,  I  did  not  believe  it  possible, 
that,  even  on  so  short  notice,  he  would  go  off  as  you 
said,  ill  and  alone.  So  I  went  back  along  the  sta- 
tion and  waited.  In  a  moment,  I  saw  Favorita  come 
out  on  the  platform  and  pass  hurriedly  down  the 
train,  peering  into  every  carriage.  When  she  came 
to  Giovanni's  she  flew  in  like  a  bird.  I  waited  a 
moment  longer,  and  saw  the  guards  lock  the  door 
and  the  train  pull  out !  " 

Though  Nina  understood  only  vaguely  what  it  all 
meant,  she  was  human  and  feminine  enough  to  find  a 
certain  grim  satisfaction  in  the  thought  that  Gio- 
vanni was  no  more  to  be  trusted  by  the  Potensi  than 
by  herself. 

A  short  time  afterward  Zoya  got  up  to  go.  "  I 
shall  see  you  to-morrow,  cara,  yes?  Will  you  lunch 
with  me  ?  And — I  shall  like  very  much  if  you  bring 
the  American." 

"  Do  you  mean  John  ?  " 

Zoya  burst  out  laughing  and  then  mimicked  Nina's 
tone.  "  Is  it  indeed  possible  that  I  could  mean  him?  " 
She  leaned  over  and  kissed  Nina  affectionately,  then 
hurried  to  the  door.  On  the  threshold  she  paused 
to  call  back,  "  One  o'clock  to-morrow,  and  be  sure 
of  John ! "  She  smiled,  blew  another  kiss,  and  was 
gone. 

Nina  looked  after  her,  her  thoughts  in  strange 
turbulence.  A  moment  later  she  ran  a  comb  through 
her  hair,  pinned  up  one  or  two  tumbled  locks,  washed 
her  face,  polished  her  nails,  took  out  a  clean  hand- 


320          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

kerchief;  after  which,  she  felt  quite  made  over,  and 
went  in  search  of  her  aunt. 

If  she  imagined  that  the  day's  emotions  were  ended, 
she  was  destined  to  be  mistaken,  for  just  as  she  went 
into  the  princess's  room,  a  messenger  came  with  a 
note  from  the  prince,  saying  that  he  had  been  ar- 
rested. It  was  a  very  cheerful  note  and  sounded 
rather  as  though  he  considered  the  whole  situation  a 
joke.  He  begged  his  wife  not  to  be  alarmed.  The 
police  had  evidently  mistaken  him  for  Giovanni,  so 
he  had  given  no  explanation  and  refused  even  to  tell 
his  name.  When  Giovanni  should  have  time  to 
reach  the  frontier,  he  would  prove  his  identity  and 
return  home. 

The  princess's  chief  anxiety  was  therefore  directed 
toward  Giovanni,  and  she  dreaded  lest  Sandro's 
identity  be  discovered  before  his  brother  should  be 
safe.  As  for  Nina,  she  cared  no  longer  what  might 
happen  to  Giovanni.  She  had  had  too  many  shocks 
and  too  little  time  for  recovery.  All  her  sympathy 
was  for  her  poor  Uncle  Sandro  who,  in  the  mean- 
time, was  sitting  in  jail!  Yet  the  thought  of  his 
situation  in  some  way  struck  her  as  ludicrous — 
almost  like  comic  opera. 

But  following  this  there  came  a  second  letter,  very 
different  from  the  first,  written  by  the  prince  in 
great  agitation,  and  saying  that  his  arrest  was  not 
for  the  death  of  the  duke,  but  for  the  smuggling  of  a 
Raphael  out  of  the  country. 

At  the  shock  of  this  news,  the  princess  for  once 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          321 

lost  her  self-control  and  turned  to  Nina  in  fright- 
ened helplessness. 

Nina's  first  thought  was  to  send  for  Derby,  and 
to  her  relief  the  princess  not  only  made  no  objec- 
tion, but  grasped  eagerly  at  the  suggestion.  For- 
tunately, she  got  him  on  the  telephone  just  as  he 
was  leaving  his  hotel,  but  in  her  agitation  she  did 
not  stop  to  explain  further  than  that  her  uncle  was 
under  arrest  somewhere  because  of  something  to  do 
with  a  picture.  Derby  answered  that  he  would  come 
at  once,  and  the  reassurance  that  she  felt  from  the 
mere  sound  of  his  voice  partly  communicated  itself 
through  her  to  the  princess,  as  they  went  into  the 
sitting-room  to  wait  for  him.  A  few  minutes  later 
the  portieres  were  lifted — but  instead  of  Derby,  it 
was  the  Marchese  Valdeste  who  entered. 

Happily  he  had  been  at  a  meeting  in  the  Tribunale 
Publico  when  the  prince  was  arrested,  and,  as  an 
important  official  and  a  great  personal  friend  of 
Sansevero's,  had  hurried  to  inform  the  princess  what 
had  happened,  and  to  place  himself  at  her  service. 
The  case  was  very  serious  not  only  because  of  the 
evidence  against  the  prince,  but  because  of  the  lofty 
way  in  which  the  latter  had  replied  some  weeks  pre- 
viously to  an  inquiry  from  the  Ministero.  Sansevero 
said  his  Raphael  was  in  the  possession  of  the  Duke 
Scorpa,  but  the  duke,  who  had  been  chiefly  instru- 
mental in  discovering  the  sale  of  the  picture,  was 
unable  to  shield  his  friend.  Sansevero  was  ques- 
tioned again,  and  refused  to  say  anything  more.  He 


322          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

had  answered  once,  and  that,  in  his  opinion,  was 
sufficient  for  a  gentleman. 

The  government  thereupon  had  sent  a  representa- 
tive to  the  Scorpa  palace,  where  Sansevero  averred 
the  picture  was.  The  duke's  servants  were  cate- 
chised, but  none  had  ever  seen  it.  To  add  to  the 
complication,  the  duke  was  far  too  ill  to  be  ques- 
tioned further,  and  Sansevero  was  at  present  in- 
juring the  case  by  making  every  moment  more  and 
more  confused  statements  about  his  alleged  transac- 
tion with  Scorpa.  First  he  said  he  had  loaned  it — 
because  Torre  Sansevero  was  cold ;  then  that  he  had 
sold  it  for  one  hundred  thousand  lire;  then  that  no 
money  was  received ;  then  that  he  had  let  the  duke 
have  it  as  security,  and  that  there  was  an  agree- 
ment whereby  he  was  to  get  his  picture  back.  When 
he  was  asked  to  show  a  receipt  in  writing,  he  went 
into  a  rage. 

The  princess,  quick  enough  to  see  the  treachery 
of  Scorpa  and  the  net  of  circumstantial  evidence 
that  he  had  thrown  about  them,  felt  utterly  helpless. 
"  It  is  true,  even  I  did  not  actually  see  the  duke  take 
the  picture,"  she  said,  "  and  I  am  the  only  one  who 
knew  anything  about  it.  As  Sandro's  wife — my 
word  will  have  no  weight  at  all ! " 

Valdeste  solemnly  shook  his  head.  "  I  fear  it  is 
graver  that  that — for  even  Miss  Randolph's  word 
that  she  had  made  certain  unusual  expenditures 
would  not  be  believed.  The  picture  might  too  easily 
have  been  sold  and  paid  for  through  her.  Unless 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          323 

it  can  be  produced  here  in  Italy,  the  end  may  be  bad. 
Somehow  we  must  find  a  way  to  do  that." 

Nina  was  getting  every  moment  more  and  more 
nervous — she  could  not  understand  Derby's  delay. 
Why  did  he  not  come?  Since  she  telephoned,  he 
could  have  covered  the  distance  from  the  Excelsior 
half  a  dozen  times.  Every  second  of  glancing  at 
the  door  seemed  a  minute,  and  the  minutes  hours. 
After  the  disillusionments  she  had  suffered  she  ac- 
tually was  beginning  to  think  that  he,  too,  would 
fail  her  in  the  crucial  moment,  when,  at  last,  the 
portieres  parted,  and  Derby  entered  carrying — the 
celebrated  Sansevero  Madonna ! 

The  princess  and  the  marchese  were  so  astonished 
that  only  Nina  seemed  to  notice  Derby  himself.  With 
a  cry  of  "  Jack!  How  did  you  do  it?  "  she  sprang 
up,  staring  at  him  in  bewilderment. 

The  sound  of  Nina's  voice  drew  the  princess's  at- 
tention to  Derby,  and  she,  too,  started  toward  him. 
"  John !  What  does  it  all  mean  ?  "  she  exclaimed, 
quite  unconscious  that  she  had  called  him  by  his  first 
name. 

"  It  means  a  rotten  plot — neither  more  nor  less — 
to  ruin  Prince  Sansevero,  concocted  by  a  man  whom 
the  prince  believed  to  be  his  friend !  The  Duke 
Scorpa  has  just  died,  which  ends  the  affair  for  him, 
but  I  have  the  whole  chain  of  evidence  that  clears 
the  prince.  The  picture  was  taken  in  exchange  for 
a  promissory  note  of  the  prince's,  for  one  hundred 
thousand  lire.  The  duke  tore  the  paper  up  and 


THE    TITLE    MARKET 

threw  it  into  the  waste-paper  basket.  Luigi  Cal- 
lucci,  who  was  his  servant,  gathered  the  scraps  out 
of  the  basket  and  pasted  them  together.  This  same 
Luigi  also  wrapped  up  the  picture  and  carried  it  to 
Shayne.  That's  all,  officially.  Actually,  there  is  a 
good  deal  more.  The  facts  are  that  the  duke  sold 
it  with  perfect  knowledge  that  it  was  to  be  smug- 
gled out  of  the  country.  I  have  all  the  information 
necessary." 

"  It  is  incredible,  incredible — the  duke  Scorpa !  " 
exclaimed  Valdeste.  "  But  that  the  Prince  San- 
severo  is  cleared  is  the  main  thing."  Then,  turning 
to  Derby,  he  continued,  "  I  hope  you  will  allow  me 
to  express  to  you  my  admiration  and  congratulation 
for  the  way  in  which  you  have  brought  it  about." 

Upon  this  the  princess  joined  the  marchese  by 
holding  her  hand  out  to  Derby.  "  I  never  can  thank 
you  enough  for  what  you  have  done!  But  for  you, 
we  should  be  in  a  very  bad  way.  I  quite  agree  with 
the  Archbishop  of  Vencata  that  you  must  be  a  miracle 
worker ! "  Her  voice  was  a  little  tremulous  as  she 
broke  off.  Then,  including  the  marchese  also,  she 
added :  "  But  now,  my  good,  kind  friends,  go, 
please,  and  get  Sandro  out  of  his  situation.  My 
poor  boy  must  be  in  a  terrible  state  of  nerves.  And 
— thank  you  both  again !  " 

The  marchese  and  Derby  hurried  out,  Derby 
carrying  the  picture.  Nina  followed  them  out  of 
the  door  and  stood  looking  after  them  until  they 
had  disappeared  down  the  vista  of  rooms.  Then 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          325 

she  exclaimed :  "  Really,  John  is  wonderful,  isn't 
he?  Wasn't  it  just  like  him  not  to  say  a  word  all 
the  time !  So  many  people  talk,  and  do  nothing !  " 
Then  Nina  noticed  that  the  princess  was  holding  her 
hands  over  her  face.  She  hurried  to  her  anxiously. 
"  Aunt  Eleanor,  what  is  it  ?  " 

The  princess  put  her  hands  down.  "  I  am  just 
thankful — that  is  all.  It  threatened  to  be  so  dread- 
ful, I  can  scarcely  realize  the  relief  yet.  What  a 
chain  of  circumstances!  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
believe  that  even  Scorpa  would  plan  them!  But  it 
is  true  I  never  trusted  him.  When  there  is  a  race 
feud  over  here  it  seems  never  to  die  out."  She 
paused  a  few  moments,  and  then  continued  as  though 
half  to  herself,  "  Although,  in  this  case,  I  think  it 
was  chiefly  on  account  of  Giovanni.  If  you  had 
married  him,  and  the  duke  had  lived,  I  believe  he 
would  have  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  scheming  to 
injure  you  and  everybody  connected  with  us." 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  marriage  which  might 
have  taken  place,  all  the  experiences  of  that  varied 
day  came  rushing  back  to  Nina — Giovanni's  pro- 
posal, the  revelation  of  his  falseness,  and  the  con- 
versation with  Zoya  which  had  given  her  the  true 
key  to  him  who  had  until  then  been  something  of  a 
mystery. 

With  a  strained  intensity  of  tone,  she  suddenly 
demanded,  "  Aunt  Eleanor,  tell  me,  supposing  I  had 
•wanted  to  marry  Giovanni,  would  you  have  made  no 
protest?  " 


326         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

The  princess  answered  thoughtfully :  "  I  am 
glad  you  are  not  to  marry  Giovanni — yes,  I  am 
glad.  Yet  even  so,  he  might  make  a  good  husband." 

Instantly  the  blood  rushed  to  Nina's  head,  "  Don't 
you  love  me  more  than  to  let  me  risk  a  life  of 
wretchedness  ?  "  she  exclaimed,  but  the  look  in  her 
aunt's  face  brought  from  the  girl  an  immediate 
apology,  and  presently  the  princess  said: 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  want  you  to  marry  over 
here  at  all.  At  first  I  hoped  it  might  be  possible — 
but  I  am  afraid  you  would  be  unhappy.  There  are 
plenty  of  girls  who  might  be  content,  but  not  you ! " 
The  princess  took  her  sewing  out  of  a  near-by  chest 
and  began  hemming  a  table  cloth. 

"  You  mean,"  said  Nina,  "  that  when  one  reads  of 
the  broken  hearts  and  lost  illusions  of  Americans 
married  to  Europeans,  the  accounts  are  true?  Why 
did  you  not  tell  me  before  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  dear.  Probably  because  such  ac- 
counts are,  to  me,  purely  sensational  writing — and 
yet  at  the  bottom  of  them  lies  a  certain  amount  of 
truth.  In  the  majority  of  such  cases  of  wretched- 
ness, if  you  sift  out  the  facts,  you  will  wonder  not 
so  much  at  the  outcome,  as  that  such  a  marriage 
could  ever  have  taken  place.  When  it  happens 
that  a  nice,  sweet,  wholesome  girl  marries  a  dis- 
reputable nobleman,  who  is  despised  from  one  end 
of  Europe  to  the  other,  American  parents  seem  to 
feel  no  horror  until  she  has  become  a  mental,  moral, 
and  physical  wreck.  To  us  over  here  it  was  un- 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          327 

believable  that  a  decent  girl  could  think  of  marry- 
ing him;  that  her  parents  could  be  so  dazzled  by 
the  mere  title  of  *  Lady  '  or  *  Marquise '  or  '  Grafin  ' 
or  *  Principessa '  that  they  were  willing  to  give  her 
into  the  keeping  of  an  unspeakable  cad,  brute,  or 
rake.  Do  you  think  that  it  is  the  fault  of  Europe 
if  such  girls  know  nothing  but  wretchedness  ?  " 

The  princess  paused,  then  continued :  "  On  the 
other  hand,  if  a  girl  marries  in  Europe  as  good  a 
man,  regardless  of  his  title,  as  the  American  she 
would  probably  have  chosen  at  home ;  and,  above  all 
— for  this  is  most  essential — if  she  is  adaptable 
enough  to  change  herself  into  a  European,  rather 
than  to  expect  Europe  to  pattern  itself  upon  her, 
she  will  have  as  good  a  chance  of  happiness  as  comes 
to  any  one.  Marriage  is  a  lottery  in  any  event. 
Of  course,  if  it  turns  out  badly  abroad,  it  is  worse 
for  her  than  it  would  have  been  at  home — much 
worse.  Everything  over  here  is,  in  that  case, 
against  her :  custom,  language,  law,  religion ;  she 
is  literally  thrown  upon  her  husband's  indulgence. 
In  a  contest  against  him  she  would  have  no  chance 
at  all — there  is  no  divorce ;  there  is  no  redress. 

"  Yet,  so  far  as  my  personal  observation  goes, 
numberless  international  marriages  have  been  happy. 
The  American  wife  of  a  European  finds  many  com- 
pensations— for  although  her  husband  does  not  al- 
low her  freedom  to  follow  her  own  whims,  and  may 
not  even  permit  her  to  spend  her  own  money,  he 
gives  her  a  ceaseless  attentiveness  that  never  relaxes 


328          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

into  the  careless  indifference  of  the  husbands  across 
the  sea. 

"  It  is  after  all  a  question  of  choice — do  you 
want  the  little  things  of  life  very  perfectly  polished 
or  do  you  prefer  rough  edges  and  heroic  sizes ! 
European  men  know  how  to  make  themselves  charm- 
ing to  their  wives,  because  with  them  to  be  charm- 
ing is  an  aim  in  itself.  They  have  versatility,  ease, 
and  grace  of  intellect,  where  the  American  men  are 
bound  up  in  their  one  or  two  absorbing  ideas,  out- 
side of  which  they  take  no  interest.  The  Europeans 
are  brilliant  conversationalists,  they  make  an  effort 
to  be  agreeable  and  to  take  an  interest  in  what- 
ever occupies  the  person  they  are  talking  to — even 
though  that  person  is  a  member  of  their  family. 

"  But,  of  course,  as  in  everything,  there  is  a 
price  one  has  to  pay.  One  can't  have  rigidity  and 
flexibility  both  in  the  same  person.  For  the  pliancy 
of  understanding,  the  easy  sympathy,  one  has  to 
relinquish  a  certain  moral  steadfastness." 

Suddenly  the  princess  looked  away  and  spoke 
very  lightly,  as  though  merely  brushing  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  thoughts  in  her  mind :  "  What  would  you 
have,  dear?  Men  are  men — it  is  well  not  to  question 
too  far.  Even  the  best  of  them  have  to  be  forgiven 
sometimes."  Under  the  light  tone,  there  was  an 
unwonted  vibration,  and  though  the  princess's  face 
was  partly  averted,  Nina  caught  a  shadow  of  pain 
in  her  eyes.  But  the  next  moment  she  smiled.  "  I 
can  tell  you  a  story,"  she  said,  "  about  a  young  bride 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          329 

whose  husband  was  very  fascinating  to  women. 
The  young  wife,  with  suspicions  of  his  devotion  to 
another  lady,  went  in  tears  to  her  mother-in-law. 
But  the  old  lady  asked  her,  '  Is  not  Pietro  an  ad- 
mirable husband?  And  is  he  not  a  most  devoted  and 
attentive  lover  as  well?'  And  the  bride  sobbed, 
'  Oh,  yes,  that  is  the  worst  of  it — it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  believe  in  his  faithlessness,  he  is  so  ador- 
able.' And  her  mother-in-law  answered :  *  Then, 
my  child,  be  glad  that  you  have  in  your  husband 
one  of  the  most  accomplished  lovers  in  the  world, 
and  do  not  inquire  too  closely  where  he  gets  his 
practice.' " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  a  woman  can  be  happy 
under  such  circumstances?"  Nina  demanded.  "If 
that  is  a  typical  foreigner,  then  I  am  glad  American 
men  are  different !  I'd  rather  my  husband  were  less 
accomplished  and  more  entirely  mine." 

"  Yes,  dear,  I  am  sure  you  would,"  the  princess 
rejoined.  "  That  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  I  told 
you.  For  you,  I  think  a  European  marriage  would 
be — not  best."  She  looked  up  quickly.  "  You 
ought  to  marry  some  one — I'll  describe  him — 
some  one  quite  strong,  quite  big,  quite  splendid. 
And  his  name  is  easy  to  guess — of  course  it's 
John." 

"  John  !  "  echoed  Nina  dolefully.  "  John  is  just 
the  one  person  above  all  others  who  does  not  want 
to  marry  me — or  even  my  money !  " 

"  Your  money,  no !     But  you,  indeed  yes." 


330          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

Nina  shook  her  head.  "  No — he  is  not  in  love 
with  me.  In  nothing  that  he  has  said  or  'even  looked, 
has  he  indicated  it." 

"  You  are  a  little  mole,  then,"  said  the  princess, 
smiling.  "  Every  look  he  gives  you,  even  every  ex- 
pression of  his  face  in  speaking  about  you,  tells  the 
story." 

Like  a  whirlwind  Nina  threw  herself  at  her  aunt's 
knees,  pulled  her  sewing  away,  and  claimed  her  whole 
attention.  "  Tell  me  everything  you  know,"  she  de- 
manded hungrily.  "  Why  haven't  you  told  me  be- 
fore? Why  do  you  think  so?  What  has  he  said  to 
you?  Dearest  auntie  princess,  tell  me  every  word 
he  has  said.  Quick!  Every  word — — " 

The  princess,  between  tears  and  laughter,  looked 
down  at  Nina.  "  Every  word?  Oh,  my  very  dear," 
she  said  tenderly,  "  his  love  is  not  of  the  little  sort 
that  spends  itself  in  words." 

And  then  suddenly  they  heard  the  sound  of  two 
men's  voices,  and  the  next  moment  the  portieres 
parted,  admitting  Sansevero  and  Derby.  Both  the 
princess  and  Nina  sprang  up ;  the  princess  in  her 
joy  ran  straight  to  her  husband's  arms.  It  was  like 
a  meeting  after  a  long  separation  that  had  been  full 
of  perils. 

A  little  later  she  put  out  her  hand  to  Derby. 
"  I  don't  think  I  shall  ever  be  able  to  thank  you 
enough;  it  was  quite  worth  all  the  anxiety  and  dis- 
tress to  have  found  such  a  friend."  Her  smile  was 
entrancing.  The  charm  of  her  was  always  not  so 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          331 

much  in  what  she  said,  as  in  the  way  she  said  it — 
in  the  way  she  gave  her  hand,  in  the  way  she  looked 
at  one,  in  the  varying  inflection  of  her  voice,  in  her 
sweetness,  her  calm,  her  dignity,  and,  under  all  these 
attributes,  always  her  heart.  And  never  had  she 
shown  them  all  more  vividly  than  now  as  she  put  her 
hand  into  Derby's. 

Then  they  all  four  sat  down — the  princess  in  a 
big  chair  and  her  husband  on  the  arm  of  it  leaning 
half  back  of  her.  And  nothing  could  stop  his  talk 
about  his  friend  the  American,  and  the  effect  upon 
the  members  of  the  committee  when  the  picture  was 
produced  and  Derby  presented  his  chain  of  evi- 
dence. They  had  been  more  than  polite  and 
courteous  to  the  prince,  that  was  true,  but  they  had 
detained  him ;  him,  a  Sansevero ! — and  in  the  tell- 
ing he  again  grew  indignant.  And  yet  it  had  been 
a  terrible  chain  of  evidence,  and  he  had  not  seen 
how  it  was  to  be  broken. 

Then  he  branched  off  from  his  own  affair,  and 
went  into  an  account  of  all  that  he  had  just  heard 
of  the  experience  of  Derby  himself  with  Calluci; 
and  the  adventure,  in  spite  of  Derby's  protests, 
certainly  lost  nothing  in  the  recital.  The  princess 
and  Nina  had  not  heard  of  this,  and  Nina  sat  and 
gazed  at  the  hero  in  mute  rapture.  In  fact,  the 
only  one  whose  feelings  were  at  all  uncertain  was 
Derby.  Not  but  that  it  was  pleasant  to  hear  such 
praise  of  himself  but  it  is  very  hard  to  be  a  hero 
unless  one  has  no  sense  of  humor  at  all.  When  the 


322         THE    TITLE    MARKET 

prince  had  used  up  half  the  adjectives  of  praise 
and  admiration  in  the  Italian  language,  and  was 
about  to  begin  on  the  other  half,  Derby  succeeded 
in  interrupting. 

"  By  the  way,  princess,"  he  said,  "  I  have  some- 
thing I  meant  to  show  you  this  morning,  but  the 
other  matter  put  it  out  of  my  mind."  He  drew  a 
paper  out  of  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  her. 
She  opened  it,  the  prince  looking  over  her 
shoulder.  It  was  a  sheet  of  foolscap  covered  with 
fine  writing  and  many  figures  in  groups  and  in 
columns. 

"  But  what  does  it  mean  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  It  is  our  first  balance  sheet  at  the  mines.  These 
are  the  tons  of  ore  taken  out,"  he  answered,  point- 
ing to  various  totals,  "  this  is  the  present  market 
price  paid  for  the  first  shipment,  and  this  is  the 
amount  we  are  turning  out  now  per  day.  At  the 
same  rate,  the  year's  payment,  at  a  conservative 
estimate,  will  be  that  amount.  At  all  events  I  shall 
send  you  a  check  the  first  of  August  for  fifty  thou- 
sand lire." 

"Fifty  thousand  lire!  Oh,  Sandro!"  The  in- 
stinct of  the  woman  showed,  in  that  her  husband 
was  her  first  thought;  and  her  voice  vibrated  joy- 
ously. "  Fifty  thousand  lire!  "  they  both  repeated 
as  though  unable  to  comprehend — and  then,  the  full 
meaning  of  it  dawning  upon  him,  the  prince  threw 
his  arms  about  her  in  wild  exuberance. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  one !  " — he  punctuated  each  phrase 


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with  kisses — "  now  you  shall  have  everything  .  .  . 
everything  .  .  .  your  heart  can  wish!  Stoves 
you  shall  have  .  .  .  servants  and  dresses  .  .  . 
Yes,  and  your  emeralds !  And  your  pearls !  You 
shall  have  .  .  .  emeralds  set  in  a  footstool! 
Every  soldo  is  for  you,  carissima,  it  is  all  yours, 
YOURS  ! " 

Gently  she  stopped  him.  "  Sandro,"  she  smiled, 
"  Sandro  mio,  not  the  mines  of  the  Indies  could  sup- 
ply your  plans  for  spending ! "  Then  her  voice 
broke,  but  she  laughed  through  her  tears  and  buried 
her  face  against  his  throat. 

After  a  moment  the  princess  recovered  herself. 
She  looked  up,  blushing  like  a  girl — a  little  self- 
conscious  that  any  one  should  have  witnessed  the 
scene  between  herself  and  her  husband.  "  We  are 
very  foolish,"  she  laughed.  "  But  it  is  good  to  feel 
so  joyous  as  that!  "  She  got  up  and,  as  she  passed 
Nina,  she  put  her  hand  caressingly  under  the  girl's 
chin.  "  It  has  not  been  a  bad  day,  after  all,  has 
it?  "  she  said.  "  And  when  fortune  begins  to  come, 
it  always  comes  in  waves — the  difficulty  is  to  make 
it  begin."  Then  she  looked  back  at  her  husband, 
"  Sandro,  come  with  me,  will  you?  These  children 
will  not  mind,  I  am  sure,  if  we  leave  them  for  a  little 
while,  and  I  want  very  much  to  talk  to  you."  She 
smiled  her  apology  to  Nina  and  Derby,  who  both 
stood  up.  Then  she  and  the  prince  went  out  of  the 
door  together,  his  arm  about  her  waist. 

When  they  had  gone,  Nina  said  softly :     "  They 


334          THE    TITLE    MARKET 

are  dears,  aren't  they !  Oh,  Jack,  aren't  you  proud 
to  think  you  are  the  cause  of  every  bit  of  the  glad- 
ness they  are  feeling  to-day?  "  She  glanced  up  at 
him,  her  eyes  alight  with  a  brilliant  softness  and 
tenderness.  But  he  did  not  look  at  her,  and  so  an- 
swered merely  her  words :  "  I  guess  it  would  have 
worked  out  all  right,  anyway."  And  then  he  seemed 
to  study  the  pattern  of  the  carpet,  and  there  was 
silence. 

Nina  stood  leaning  against  a  heavy  table,  and 
Derby  stood  near  her  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets 
and  his  attention  engrossed  on  the  floor.  Both 
seemed  incapable  of  speaking  or  moving,  as  though 
a  hypnotic  spell  had  fallen  upon  them.  Twice,  while 
her  aunt  and  uncle  were  in  the  room,  Derby  had 
looked  at  her  with  an  expression  that  set  Nina's  heart 
beating,  but  now  they  were  alone  it  had  entirely 
vanished  and  he  kept  his  head  persistently  turned 
away.  She  wondered  how  she  could  ever  have  failed 
to  find  his  profile  splendid.  But  he  seemed  so  de- 
tached, so  bafflingly  absorbed,  that  all  the  old  ache 
that  she  had  felt  that  day  when  he  had  advised 
her  to  marry  Billy  Dalton — and  since — came  suffo- 
catingly back.  The  old  doubt  suddenly  gripped  her 
— could  her  aunt  be  mistaken  ? 

Finally,  it  came  to  her,  intuitively,  that  her  whole 
future  was  hanging  on  this  moment,  and  the  impulse 
was  overwhelming  to  forget  that  she  was  the  woman. 
It  seemed  that  she  must  herself  force  the  issue  and 
end  the  doubt,  at  all  hazards — this  doubt  which 


THE    TITLE    MARKET          335 

hammered  at  the  door  of  her  intellect  and  yet  which 
her  heart  refused  stubbornly  to  accept. 

"  Jack  " — she  tried  hard  to  carry  out  her  resolve 
not  to  let  the  false  pride  of  a  moment  perhaps  spoil 
her  whole  life;  but  the  inborn  reserve  of  generations 
of  womanhood  rebelled.  In  her  uncertainty  and  an- 
guish each  moment  of  silence  seemed  weighted  into 
leaden  despair,  but  she  was  utterly  unable  to  say 
what  she  had  intended.  At  last  her  lips  parted  and, 

like  the  wail  of  a  lost  child, "  Jack "  she  cried.  It 

was  all  she  could  say  before  her  eyes  filled  and  a 
queer  little  gulp  came  into  her  throat;  then,  with 
superhuman  effort  yet  hardly  articulate,  came  the 
whisper,  "  H-ave  you  n-othing  to  say — to  me?  " 

All  at  once  he  turned  and  looked  at  her — looked 
again  and  caught  her  by  the  shoulders.  The  love 
and  ardor  of  which  the  princess  had  spoken  flamed 
unmistakably  in  his  expression  now — she  saw  him 
swallow  hard,  and  it  seemed  to  her  as  though  her 
very  soul  were  wandering  lost  in  the  blue  spaces  of 
his  eyes  as  they  searched  hers,  and  then  through  it 
all  his  voice  came  huskily. 

"Nina!" 

For  another  long,  intense  moment  he  gazed  at  her 
earnestly,  then  "  Nina !  Nina !  "  he  cried  again,  the 
wonder  breaking  through  his  tone.  "  Do  you  under- 
stand— do  you  mean  what  you  are  looking?  Do 
you  love  me  like — that  ?  " 

She  tried  to  answer,  but  could  not,  though  a  little 
smile  quivered  in  the  corner  of  her  mouth,  and  the 


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dimple  in  her  cheek  was  softly  visible.  Then  she 
looked  up  again  through  her  tears.  A  radiance  in- 
describable lit  the  man's  face,  making  his  rugged 
features  beautiful — then  swiftly  he  stooped  and 
gathered  her  to  his  heart. 


THE  END 


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